The Kanto Adventures
by Xerneas For The Win
Summary: As Red, Blue and Green all leave for the adventure of a lifetime, little do they realise what could be waiting around the corner... how will they cope when faced with the infamous Team Rocket? This story has references to the games and anime. Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon (else Electrode would evolve). This the first fanfic in the series. Please review honestly!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is my first fanfic and I hope you enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed writing it! I do not own Pokémon, nor the copyrights to it.  
This fanfic is based on the games Pokémon Red and Blue, with possible elements of FireRed and LeafGreen. Please read and review honestly.**

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Chapter 1 – The start of a great adventure

It all started out when I was just eleven years old. I woke up rather early, and with good reason. Today was the day I was to get my first Pokémon! I suppose I'd better introduce myself. My name is Greg, though all my friends call me Red. I live, along with my mother and the Professor, in the south of Kanto, in a little town called Pallet Town. I have a "regular" face, in that my nose is small and angular, my mouth is kind of wide and my eyes are in the right place. But my eyes are unusual in that they are a rather deep maroon red which, according to Green, sparkle.

Oh, I forgot to mention I'm not taking this journey alone. My two best friends, Blue and Green, who also live in Pallet, are coming with me too. There's Blue, whose real name is Tom, who is a smug, headstrong know-it-all; although his heart is in the right place. We've been rivals since we were babies, even competing to see who could walk first. Green is rather overenthusiastic and clumsy, but loving and caring too! She's often seen sitting in the town's park, staring into the sky, imagining herself surrounded by Pidgey, Pikachu, Nidoran and Clefairy. She's a rather happy-go-lucky person. However, she doesn't like her real name at the moment, so I won't mention it!

* * *

I walked downstairs to see my mum, next to the stove, making pancakes.  
"Morning dear, I've got some pancakes on the go for you. Honey, right?" she asked.  
"Yes, please. Could I have a glass of MooMoo Milk with that please?" I replied.  
"Yes, but you're going to have to get it yourself," she hurriedly said, ensuring the pancakes weren't burnt. "You know, it was this day fourteen years ago that your father and I met."  
"I'd rather not talk about him…" I coldly responded, remembering how he left.

* * *

It was a cold winter's night, and after coming into my room, kissing me on the head and whispering to me he would be back to see me, he left. I was 6 at the time. The only thing left by him to explain why he'd left was a note left on the table, reading, "Please find it in your hearts to forgive me, but I've become bored of Pallet Town, and have left to join Team Rocket, as they do high amounts of exploration. I'm sorry, Dad." It was upon finishing this that my mum scrunched up the note, threw it into the corner and stormed off upstairs. I can remember hearing nothing but sobs from my mum's bedroom for days, and how she only came downstairs to give us something to eat. Even when Professor Oak came over to visit, there was minimal conversation, and it was hard-pressed to get any emotion out of my mother, except grief. He never did come back…

* * *

I received a large plate of pancakes, with a small hug.  
"It's best not to dwell in the past, son," mum said. "After all, it's the present that makes you who you are."  
"Thanks mum. You're the best!" I exclaimed, bringing back her usual smile. I wolfed down my breakfast, as I didn't want to be late to the ceremony. I rushed back upstairs, shoved my shoes on the wrong feet then put my coat on. I then stepped down the stairs, wondering why my shoes felt funny to see my mum laughing at me.  
"Oh dear! You've got your feet in the wrong shoes," she laughed. I looked down, blushed, put them on the right feet and headed for the door.  
"Bye mum, I'll show you who I picked after the ceremony!" I shouted as the door closed.

* * *

After a short, uneventful walk through the central plaza and a small housing estate I arrived at the Laboratory, whilst simultaneously meeting up with Blue and Green.  
"Hmh, so you got here then. That's a start!" exclaimed Blue.  
"Hey, don't go being so harsh on him!" retorted Green, slapping Blue on the wrist. "Ugh, some people have no manners! Anyway, it's good to see you Red!"  
"Heh! I'm so psyched to be getting my first Pokémon!" I replied offhand.

Suddenly, the Lab's doors opened and we all looked to see the big beaming face of Professor Oak.  
"Come on gramps, I'm fed up of waiting…" stated Blue. Me and Green looked at him, rolled our eyes, and then looked back at Prof. Oak.  
"Ahem, yes well… c-come in. I want to stick to the formalities today," he said, looking meaningfully at Blue. "This day will be a one you'll remember for the rest of your lives!" As he told us this, we walked over to the main desk which, for today, was cleared of the regular, boring equations and flasks of chemicals, and was replaced by three red and white spherical capsules. It didn't look too much like the ceremony I'd imagined; no banners, no balloons, not even a set of party poppers on the table next to the capsules.  
"I won't keep you too long; as you can see we don't have many chairs…"  
"You have none! But… thanks for not keeping us Professor." I said. He seemed very apologetic for this, but nonetheless, carried on with his talk.  
"Well, as I'm sure you know, one of these three Poké Balls on the desk contains the Pokémon of whom your journey will begin with. Do you all know which one you want?"

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**Phew! First chapter done, redone and reuploaded. I'd like to thank Tyhe2476 for giving me helpful hints and tips as to how I can improve the story. I have a poll up on my forum for the Sevii Islands (link here _ myforums/Xerneas-For-The-Win/4506264/_ ). Please review honestly. Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter 2 of my fanfic. There is a poll up on my forum to see if you want me to write about the Sevii Islands, and if so how. Please review honestly!**

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Chapter 2 – An important decision

I turned to Blue and Green to see what they had to say.  
"I like Bulbasaur, they're so cute!" said Green, holding her hands together and standing on one foot.  
"I do quite like Charmander to be honest, but if you want Blue you can ha-"  
"I'll have Squirtle then, just like I wanted all along," interrupted Blue. "This means you get your much desired Charmander, Red!"

"Well, guess that settles it then! Charmander's in the middle, with Bulbasaur on the left. Here are your Pokédexes, 5 Poké Balls each and your cross-transceivers," stated Prof. Oak, handing us all our equipment. I walked over to the main table, my eyes fixed to the centre Poké Ball. I slowly picked it up, drawing in every moment that I could, and turned it over in my hand.  
"Hello to you, my partner. Come on out!" I said, throwing the capsule into the air. A white beam of light materialised on the floor, changing into the form of a small, orange lizard. He turned around to see who his trainer was. "It's good to see you."  
"Char-Charmander!" cried Charmander.  
"Aww, you too look so cute together. Well, come on out Bulbasaur. I bet he's soooo cute!" dreamed Green.  
"You might want to rephrase that last sentence. Bulbasaur's a she. Hey, do you want to battle, Red? Squirtle needs experience," persuaded Blue. "Talking of which, let's go Squirtle!" Squirtle stood with his eyes squinted, his arms folded and his head held backwards, looking down at Charmander.  
"I accept your challenge!" I stated.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, you don't even know how to battle yet!" interrupted Prof. Oak. "Surely you ought to learn how to battle before you do so."  
"I prefer a more practical approach, let's go Charmander!" I said, pointing out towards the battle area. Charmander rushed on to the battle field, stood with his left leg behind him, leaned forwards and released a few embers.  
"I like your attitude," replied Blue. "Let's win Squirtle!"

* * *

They looked at each other with tentative glares. As Squirtle started to growl Charmander's claws extended.  
"Charmander, use Scratch."  
"Quick, Withdraw! Then keep using Tackle!"  
"Dodge it Charmander!" I quickly shouted, though Charmander wasn't fast enough and got slammed hard. "Ummm… Oh! Grab its head, slam it into the ground and Scratch it!"  
Squirtle charged into Charmander, where the plan was executed to perfection.  
"Jump up and use Withdraw!" Squirtle retreated into its shell. "Now spin and use Tackle!"  
"Move to the left and use scratch after it hits the ground!" I quickly spouted. Squirtle slammed hard into the ground and Charmander Scratched it hard. After which, Charmander backed away from a fainted Squirtle. "Yes, a critical hit!"

"Wow! Squirtle is unable to battle, and as such Red wins! Well done!" announced Green from the side-lines.  
"Heh! Nice battle, Red. I'm going out to Route 1 to train. Come back Squirtle. Smell ya later!" congratulated Blue, bringing back Squirtle to his Poké Ball.  
"Bye Blue! Hey, do you think we can have a battle, please? You looked so good in that battle that I wanted to just join in."  
"Wait! Charmander's only just finished his battle. He needs to rest," stated Prof. Oak. "And besides, don't you think you ought to show Charmander to your mother, Red?"  
"I suppose I ought to! See you later Professor. Oh, Green? I'll battle you later, OK?" I remarked, walking towards the entrance of the lab with Charmander sat comfortably on my shoulders.  
"Bye!" shouted Green.  
I walked over to the door, waving a nonchalant goodbye to the Professor and Green, opened the door and took my first step in the world with a Pokémon. My Pokémon… I looked around for a bit, feeling like my life was a lot more complete and headed back home.

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**Once again, I'd like to thank Tyhe2476 for the hints and tips for my fanfic. If I could get some helpful pointers as to writing battle scenes, they would be much appreciated.**** Please review honestly! Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! Welcome to chapter 3! I know that a lot has changed in terms of chapter size and story progression, but the exam period is over, so I can spend a bit more time writing this. As ever, please review honestly.**

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Chapter 3 – Meeting and greeting

As I turned down the street leading to my house, I couldn't help wondering what my mother's reaction was going to be on my choice. I mean, she always wants what's best for me, but what if she hates Fire type Pokémon? What if she disowns me for even just accepting a Pokémon? Still anxious, I entered my house to see my mother watching TV. It looked to be a movie, where four boys are walking on railroad tracks. It made me wonder about my adventure too…

"Oh, hello dear! My, you're back soon," said Mum. "What happened, weren't there any chairs there?"  
"Exactly! Mum, I want you to meet my new partner. Say hello, Charmander!" I replied.  
"Char-Charmander!"  
"Aww, he's so cute. You should know that Charmander was actually the Pokémon I chose as my first Pokémon too!" announced Mum. I rather happily surprised by that revelation and was left rather speechless for a few seconds. "Well, stay for tonight, son. You've got the first big day tomorrow!"  
"Actually," I interrupted. "I would like to go out to Route 1 to train for the afternoon, if that's alright? Of course I'll stay the night though!"  
"Well… oh, how can I deny you and Charmander your training? Go on, have fun and stay safe!"

* * *

As I strolled over to the gates, I could see Green waiting for me. I ran over to meet her as quickly as possible, without leaving Charmander behind. As we met up we started up a conversation, whilst also walking towards the first patches of grass.  
"So, did you mother like him?" she asked.  
"She sure did! Did you know she also picked Charmander as her first Pokémon? I was surprised because I've never seen it. In fact, I've only seen her Mr. Mime, and that's because it does the cleaning!"  
"Wow, no way!" she said, astonished. "So do you know what other Pokém-"  
"Shhh. Sorry, just seen a wild Pokémon. C'mon Charmander, let's go!" I whispered.  
"Good luck!" she whispered back, eager to see if I would catch it.

I walked over to the Pokémon in the grass, and it turned around, scratched its head with its hind leg, then took its battle stance.  
"Alright, let's get this Pikachu. Use Ember!" I ordered. Pikachu sustained moderate damage, and released a small spark, of which also caused moderate damage.  
"Thundershock… Are you alright?" I asked, to which Charmander nodded and took its battle stance. He then fell back to one knee as small sparks surrounded its body. "Darn, Paralyzed. Try to use Ember!" Charmander stood up, fired a large set of embers, bringing Pikachu to low health. Pikachu, now fatigued, disappeared. It then reappeared on Charmander, knocking him to the ground. Charmander slowly got up, visibly exhausted. "Whoa, I've never seen a Pikachu with Extremespeed! Well, I want you all the more, go Poké Ball!" It started to wobble. 1… 2… 3… Ping! "YES! I caught a Pikachu!"

"Well, come on out!" I shouted, throwing the capsule into the air.  
"Pikachu!"  
"You do realise that you can just hold the ball in front of you and do that?" said a voice from my right. "Besides, most people keep their Pokémon inside their Poké balls. Why don't you?"  
"Oh, hi Blue." I replied casually. "Meet Pikachu, my newest partner!"  
"Pika?"  
"Blue here is my friend and will be travelling with us, Pikachu. Now, to answer your question Blue, Pokémon are companions, not slaves, and as such don't deserve to travel in a capsule." It was upon this statement that Pikachu looked up at me in amazement. "In fact, the only time I shall put a Pokémon in a Poké ball is when it is too injured to walk or stay balanced on my shoulder." It was to this that Charmander cheered.

* * *

"Wait! You haven't met my new Pokémon. Go Eevee and Pidgey!" Two Pokémon appeared at his side, one of them a small cream bird with small wings and a small but powerful beak, the other a small brown fox with a white fluffy collar. "Good aren't they?"  
"Ooh, are we comparing our current teams? Say hello, Spearow!" asked Green. I suddenly noticed she had a small brown bird with a pinkish bead sat on her shoulder.  
"Spearow!" It chirped, bowing its head politely. I then noticed her Bulbasaur was tugging at her sleeve with its vines.  
"I've already introduced you, silly!" she said, stroking her Bulbasaur under the chin. "Blue, how did you know that Bulbasaur was a she?"  
"I wondered that too. How did you know?" I asked, portraying my thoughts.  
"Look at the chlorophyll spots. They're heart shaped. Only female Bulbasaur have that," Blue stated. "Learnt that from gramps."  
"Show-off. I'm going to go home now, thinking about it. It's starting to get dark and my mother's probably getting worried about me," I said. "Good night!" I then turned away from Blue and Green, heading back home for what might have been the last time.

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**Well, there we go, chapter 3 done and dusted. Now, the story will start to progress from here, and chapters should get longer and more in depth. There is a poll on my forum for whether I should write about the Sevii Islands, and if so how so? See you next time! Bye!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Today, Red is travelling to Viridian City. But something has to happen to make the day go past. The upkeep of a promise. As ever, please review honestly!**

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Chapter 4 – Battles and Viridian

I woke up the next morning, looked down from my bed to see my Charmander, lying on his back and snoring softly, and my Pikachu, curled up in the corner, happily snoozing. I got up quietly so as to not wake up my Pokémon and tiptoed downstairs.  
"Where are your Pokémon dear?" asked my mum.  
"They're still asleep. I'll go up and wake them soon," I replied. I then tucked into the cereal that Mum had laid out for me. "That movie of yours seems to be a favourite," I commented, seeing the same movie that was on yesterday.  
"That's because they are taking a journey, just like my own little man." I smiled at this thinking back to yesterday, and how I took my first steps into my journey. As I did this, my cereal seemingly disappeared. I got up from the table, headed upstairs and gently shook Charmander awake.  
"Cha-aaaar" Charmander yawned. I then headed over to Pikachu and whispered in her ear to wake up. Her ears started to twitch and her eyes opened slowly as she took in the new day.  
"Pikachu!" she cried as she stood up, smiling.  
"We've got a big day ahead of us. Let's get to Viridian by the end of the day!" I announced.

* * *

I walked back over to Route 1 with Pikachu on my shoulder and Charmander by my side.  
"Waaaaaiit!" I heard from behind me. I turned around to see Green sprinting towards me. "You… haven't… given me… my battle… yet…" she puffed.  
"Get your breath back, then I'll battle you," I replied. She took in a few deep breaths and stood up straight.  
"Ok, I'm ready! Go Spearow!"  
"Pikachu, you're up! Use Thundershock!" I shouted.  
"Quick, to the right, then use Growl!" Spearow growled, making Pikachu look a bit more lax.  
"Lowered attack… Use Thundershock again!" Pikachu released a small but powerful spark, making Spearow's health low.  
"No! Peck her!"  
"Dodge and use Extremespeed!"  
"Extremespeed? What the-" she was interrupted by the sight of her Spearow fainting. "You're good, but can you handle this? Go Bulbasaur!" she announced.  
"Of course I can! Pikachu, return. Go Charmander!"  
"Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur sent out vines from its back, hitting Charmander across the face. "Yes, a critical hit!"  
"Darn. Use Ember!" It struck Bulbasaur across the bulb, causing her to flinch. "Yes, she flinched. Use Em…" I was interrupted by the sound of a metallic sheen. I looked up to see Charmander slash Bulbasaur with extended, silver claws. He jumped back to where he was before, looking stronger than ever.  
"It looks like your Charmander learned to use Metal Claw! Use Tackle, Bulbasaur!" Green ordered. Charmander was tackled to the ground, where he stayed for a moment, gaining his breath back.  
"Are you OK?" I asked. I got thumbs up from Charmander. "Good, now use Metal Claw again!"  
"Quick, dodge it, Bulbasaur," Green hurriedly said. Bulbasaur wasn't quick enough, and took the Metal Claw to the face.  
"Bulba!" she cried, before fainting. Charmander stood up, proud of its work.

* * *

"Well done Charmander, you worked so hard for Red," said Green to Charmander. Charmander gave Green a toothy smile.  
"Don't forget Pikachu. She worked just as hard as Charmander!" I said, stroking her head after she clambered back on to my shoulder. "C'mon Charmander, let's get you both healed up. You're both brilliant battlers!" I started to walk up Route 1, Charmander hot on my heels and Pikachu holding on to my hat to hold her balance.  
"Hey, wait… My Pokémon need healing too. Could I walk with you?" Green asked. I responded with a simple nod. "Looks like you might already be able to take on the first gym leader. I think his name is… Grock? It's something like that. I think his specialty is rock types, so Charmander's Metal Claw should prove useful!"  
"I certainly hope so…" I quietly replied. Though Metal Claw would be useful, if Charmander got knocked out, all I would have is Pikachu and, strong as she is, she wouldn't leave a dent on a rock type Pokémon. I needed another Pokémon, one which provided strength to the party and gave advantages over types not yet covered.  
"I can see you look troubled. You're thinking of getting another Pokémon aren't you?" Green asked.  
"How the heck did you know?!"  
"I can read you like a book sometimes. I've heard Mankey live in Route 22 and Viridian Forest. They might help," she suggested. I turned to her, hugged her and thanked her, running off to Viridian City, scaring away any wild Pokémon that I may have battled normally in the process. Green sighed and said to herself, "I'm always happy to help..."

* * *

I arrived in Viridian City, stopped by the Pokémon Centre (which was on the outskirts) and healed my Pokémon. I then bought Potions and Poké Balls from the counter on the right and headed up to Viridian Forest.  
"So, you finally got here then. Took your time…" said a familiar voice. I turned around to see who it was, almost sending Pikachu flying with the speed of my turn.  
"Sorry Pikachu… So, what's the hold-up Blue?" I asked, upon realising who made the statement.  
"This man hasn't had his morning coffee yet, and is blocking up the entrance to Route 2 until he gets it. Rather selfish if you ask me…" said Blue, leaning against a tree with his arms folded.  
"I have coffee!" sang a voice from behind me. "But why should I help the one who abandoned me in Route 1or the one who abandoned us at Pallet?! I may be forgiving, but don't take advantage of that!"  
"Ooh… sorry, Green. I kind of freaked when you said there were Mankey in Viridian Forest," I sheepishly replied. Green looked scornfully at me, got out a flask she kept in her bag and poured out a cup.  
"Here you go, sir. It might be kind of weak though," said Green, handing over a small cup of coffee.  
"Thank you. Anything to give me extra up and go," replied the old man, taking a small sip from the cup before he spoke again. "Say, have you seen my son? He's on TV! I think it's a show called 'Pokémon: how to' or something like that."  
"No, sorry. Look, Red, Green, we have to get back to the Pokémon Centre soon, otherwise we'll be caught out in the dark," suggested Blue. We all agreed to do so, and turned back to the Pokémon Centre, waving to a miffed old man, hoping for some form of overnight accommodation.

We headed inside the Pokémon Centre at what seemed like the right time, as it had just started to rain outside. As Green headed over to the Videophones to call her parents and Blue went over to the waiting area to drum his fingers on something that wasn't his calf, I walked up to the counter to get us a room to stay overnight.  
"Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Centre. We restore your tired Pokémon to full health. Would you like to rest your Pokémon?" asked the nurse on duty. I saw her badge quickly and noted the name.  
"Actually, I'd like to book a room for the night for 3 trainers, Nurse Janice. Would that be OK?" I enquired. It seemed that somebody got the idea somewhere that all the nurses at the Pokémon Centres are always called Joy... Such an old name.  
"Yes, there is a room two doors on the left through those big double doors just there. Have a nice night!" Nurse Janice replied. I signalled to Blue that I'd gotten a room and he got up, went over to Green and told her. She quickly said her goodbyes and we all headed to our room to retire for the night.

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**Right... so I haven't uploaded for a little while, I apologise for that. I've recently gotten my hands on a copy of SoulSilver and have been playing that. I have got my ideas for chapter 5 written down, so I might start writing soon. Well, this is me signing off. Bye!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, it took a while, but here it is, Chapter 5. I will be writing more as the weeks go by, but if I forget for a while or am busy with other stuff, I apologise. It's half-term next week, so expect more writing. Thank you to Tyhe2476 for all the tips. As ever, please rate honestly!**

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Chapter 5 – The everlasting forest

As I set out to explore Viridian Forest the next morning, I was interrupted by my Charmander pulling on my trouser leg.

"What's the problem?" I asked, looking down to see Charmander pointing at the doors to the Pokémon Centre.  
"You know, you are supposed to wait for us you know, Red!" said Blue, with Green scornfully looking at me… again. "Look, you might be excited to get a Mankey, but the least you can do is wait for us."  
"Yes, just like you did yesterday, Blue!" I sarcastically responded. Blue opened his mouth to argue but found no words and just hung his head in shame. I then turned to go down the street to Viridian forest and looked behind me to see if Blue and Green were following me.  
"We're right behind you, Red!" exclaimed Green, Blue still being too embarrassed to speak. I then reached the entrance for Viridian Forest, waiting for Blue, who had decided he needed to get us some antidotes from the Poké Mart.  
"Hey, are you going into Viridian Forest?" asked a familiar voice. I turned my head to where the voice came from and saw the old man from yesterday. "If you're going in, you might want this, just in case you ever need any help." He handed over a small card and pointed to my cross-transceiver. I inserted the card into one of the empty slots and saw an icon appear on the screen. It read "Teachy TV". The old man handed one to Green too. "Say, where's the impatient one? I have one for him too."

* * *

"He's right here!" Blue shouted across to us. He walked over calmly (really unlike him) and accepted the card, placed it in the cross-transceiver and shook the old man's hand. "Thank you." By this point I was highly confused as to Blue's change of attitude and looked at Green for help. She looked back at me with equal confusion.  
"My son's on that, he has helped many new trainers on their jour-"  
"Sorry, but could I ask you to move on? These antidotes are really getting heavy!" interrupted Blue. With that the old man seemed upset that he couldn't finish bragging about his son, but respected Blue's wished and headed back home for another coffee. Blue spoke up again once he was out of earshot, "Ugh, had to get him to go away. I thought being highly polite would make him go away faster. Here are your antidotes," he said, handing us 5 antidotes each. "See you on the other side. I want to catch Pokémon alone, just in case we I catch something awesome." And with that he ran inside the gate and out the other side faster than you could say "Beedrill".  
"I'm going to go off alone too, but only to spend time alone. I'll see you on the other side of the forest, around 3 o'clock-ish?" I said questioningly.  
"OK, I'll call Blue to let him know the arrangement. You have fun!" Green replied, smiling at me the way my mother would. We went into the gate and both turned away from each other, waving as we headed deeper into Viridian Forest.

* * *

As I went deeper into Viridian forest many things were catching my eyes: the beautiful Butterfree gliding overhead, the sudden bursts of electricity from the right, the sight of a Weedle being picked on by a group of Caterpie, the smell of the honey made by the- ah! The Weedle looked to be in trouble. I ran over to it as quickly as my feet could take me.  
"Hey! Don't pick on it!" I shouted at the Caterpie, putting myself in the way of any harm that may come to Weedle. The Caterpie responded by giving me a face full of their String Shot. I looked at them sneeringly and they wriggled off, muttering under their breaths. I turned to see Weedle climbing up my arm with a smile on its face. It unraveled me from the String Shot and sort of hiccoughed. I decided to pick it up and cuddle it in my arms.  
"There, there. No harm will come now. Say, do you want to be a part of my team?" I asked softly.  
"Pika-Pikachu!" said Pikachu, which was a recommendation to join my team.  
"Charmander!" agreed Charmander. Weedle looked up at me with tearful eyes and a huge smile.  
"I promise, if it looks bad, I'll swap you out for another Pokémon for training, OK?" I promised. To this, Weedle nodded and wriggled out from my arms for the Poké ball. I tapped her side gently with the Poké ball and 1… 2… 3… Ping! I let Weedle out of the Poké ball and let her ride on my left shoulder, whilst Pikachu took back his place on my right shoulder. My team was starting to build up.

* * *

After wandering through the forest for ages, battling along the way a few Caterpie, Metapod and Weedle, I stumbled upon a sign. It read, "You are now entering Mankey _Beedrill_ territory." A little confused I saw, quite close to the entrance, a Mankey. I chased after it and engaged it in battle.  
"Go Weedle!" I exclaimed. Mankey took a battle stance and the battle began. "Use String Shot!" Weedle sent out a thick string and wrapped Mankey up in it. Mankey broke out quite easily, but it looked a bit more sluggish. It lunged forwards with its leg outstretched, hitting Weedle straight in the face.  
"Weedle!" she cried.  
"That's the fighting spirit! Use Poison Sting!" I ordered. She sent out a large amount of small, sharp spikes and hit Mankey. Mankey recoiled and looked suddenly quite ill. Nevertheless, it pounced again with Karate Chop and hit Weedle on the horn. Weedle flinched and recoiled backwards, then suddenly got enveloped by a white light. I could see its shape changing from a worm like Pokémon to a Cocoon.  
"Kakuna!" she announced, happy to have evolved so quickly.  
"Brilliant, Weed- sorry, Kakuna. You've evolved! Now, show Mankey your new power. Use Bug Bite!" I happily ordered, not forgetting I was still in a battle. Kakuna hopped forwards and bit down on Monkey's head, eating its berry at the same time. Mankey started to stumble backwards as Kakuna hopped back over to me. It motioned to leer at Kakuna but suddenly…  
"Go, Poké Ball!" shouted a voice from behind the trees. I saw a Poké ball fly out from the left and hit Mankey, sucking it in to the ball. I stormed over to see who has stolen what was potentially going to be my Pokémon, and it started to wobble, 1… 2… 3… Ping! Whoever it was had my Pokémon now.

* * *

"Yes, another Pokémon for my Pokédex. Red and Green are going to be so jealous!" said somebody. I think it was, "Blue! You stole my catch!"  
"I thought it was a wild battle… Do you want it?" Blue apologetically asked.  
"Humph… You might as well have it. I can probably find another one," I sighed.  
"Actually, you can't anymore," said a voice from behind us. I turned around to see a ranger midway through his patrolling. "You see, the Beedrill have taken over the Mankey territory, and that was the last Mankey in Viridian forest."  
"What caused the change?" I asked.  
"Time," he replied mysteriously. I understood what he said, but I couldn't help wondering if other trainers contributed to it. "Anyway, the Mankey now all live on Route 22. Last time I heard, that route was partially blocked off by a landslide." I let Pikachu clamber back on to my shoulder, let Kakuna hang off my backpack and walked off disappointed that I lost what seemed to be my only chance to definitively beat Brock. The ranger walked off the other way, leaving Blue to stand there feeling guilty.

* * *

After a few lacklustre battles with a couple of Caterpie and Weedle, got to the gate to Pewter City and looked at my cross-transceiver. 10 to 3. I looked back over the forest with a watchful eye, taking one last look for any glimpse of Mankey. Nothing. I then looked to my right because I saw something moving. Turns out it was Green, walking over with what looked like her Bulbasaur in her arms.  
"Hi Red! You seem unhappy… Still upset over Blue catching your Mankey?" she asked.  
"How did you know? Yes, by the way, I am a little disappointed but accidents happen I suppose," I replied.  
"Blue told me on the cross-transceiver," she admitted. "I see you got a new Pokémon!"  
"Yes, meet Kakuna," I said, turning around slowly to show her it.  
"Aww… it's so cute! Here, meet my Metapod," she said, turning my shoulders to motion for me to turn around. I saw the Metapod and smiled at it. "Caught him just 15 minutes ago, near that tree shaped like a Butterfree."  
"That's where I caught Kakuna, as a Weedle!" I replied. It was strange how things worked out, but nevertheless, I still had a sense of disappointment about losing Mankey.

* * *

I then looked up and back over the trees, wondering how I was supposed to be able to beat Brock when I saw Blue scouring the taller grass, hoping to find one last Pokémon before heading into Pewter City. Unfortunately, he couldn't find anything, leading him to walk over to us with a slight stomp. He then saw me and promptly stopped, instead hanging his head slightly in guilt.  
"It's alright, accidents happen," I comforted him. "Besides, I think I've found a technique for beating Brock.  
"Well, what is it?" asked Green.  
"You know Red, 'That'd be telling!' he'd say," replied Blue. I nodded in agreement.  
"Well? What else have you two caught?" asked Green, getting off the subject before she got too confused.  
"Well, you've seen my Kakuna. That's all I've caught here. Besides a Mankey, it was all I wanted from here. Here Blue, have a look!" I said turning slowly away from Blue to show him a happy Kakuna.  
"Well, I caught a Caterpie, a Weedle, a Pikachu, a Rattata and of course the Mankey. Talking of which, if you're sure you don't want me to give it to you, I'll be sending this to the PC," Blue inquired. I waved a hand as if to say that it was OK. Blue got out his cross-transceiver and selected the option "send to PC" and hung the antenna over the Poké ball. It seemed to disappear and Green's eyes widened. I wished the Mankey well before walking towards Pewter City, motioning for Blue and Green to follow. I think they hesitated because I wasn't running towards the gym so as to execute my plan, but followed nonetheless. I had a feeling that it was going to be a hefty battle…

* * *

**Whew! That was a tense chapter! Next time we will only see one battle, as I don't want to bore you all with 3 separate battles. Don't forget to check my forum and vote in the poll. See you next time! Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, Chapter 6 is finally done. But will Red and co. finally get the Boulderbadge? Find out now. My forum is still up, still accepting votes for the poll and will be until you all vote! Please rate honestly and enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6 – Pewter Gym

I strolled confidently down the main street and turned right, heading towards to gym… or so I thought  
"Wait! You there, have you all been to the gym yet?" asked a man on my left, walking over as he talked.  
"That's where I'm going now actually," I replied.  
"Actually, you're heading to Route 3. C'mon, I'll take you to the gym," he corrected. He turned and started walking back where I came from and we all followed, with me getting a few looks from Blue and Green, as if to say that I should have looked at the signposts. I felt that was a bit hypocritical, but didn't protest it nonetheless. I walked down the road and took the left path through an industrial estate, keeping in tow with the guide.  
"Well, you may not be interested, but here is the museum where they research fossilised Pokémon, such as Kabuto and Omanyte," said the guide.  
"Actually, I don't care too much, I just want my badges, OW!" said Blue, screaming as Green pinched him.  
"I do wish you wouldn't be so rude!" scolded Green. "Sorry about him. What is an Omantyte?"  
"Omanyte," corrected the guide. "It was a Pokémon that lived a long time ago. Some say that it, along with Kabuto, were the ancestors of our current water Pokémon."  
"Wow…" gasped Green. I took all of this in silently, silently hoping that I would get to meet one of these Pokémon someday.

As we got to the gym the guide motioned his hand towards the doors and said, "good luck too all of you, I hope to see you all again, just not the same way as before, eh?"  
"No, I don't want that kind of embarrassment again," I replied quietly. He laughed and walked off, waving to us as he walked down towards Route 3. "Well, I suppose we'd better battle the leader. See you on the other side!" I nervously said. I must have said something right, because as soon as I said that Blue, Green, Charmander and Pikachu all perked up. I went inside the building and as met by a strange looking man. He looked almost like a mascot.  
"Welcome to Pewter Gym, home of the rock solid Pokémon trainer family," he announced, this sounded much rehearsed, and the next sentence probably was too.  
"Trainer family?" I asked.  
"Yes, here at the Pewter gym, there are 6 different trainers you can face, but you can only choose one to face," he replied. As I thought, that line sounded rehearsed too. "Well, do you want to dream big? Do you dare to dream of becoming the Pokémon champ? I'm no trainer but I can ad-"  
"I don't need to dream, it's going to happen," interrupted Blue. Green pinched his arm again.  
"Look, can I just say what I've been paid to say please?" rhetorically asked the mascot.  
"Yes, shut up Blue. The writer doesn't want the mascot to get angry," said Green.  
"Sorry, writer," Blue apologised. The writer looked back down on to Blue with steely eyes, knowing it was necessary to change his attitude sometime soon.

* * *

"Anyway, the door on the far left is Flint's room, the door to the left of it is Brock's room and this door," he said motioning to the door on his right, "is Forrest's room. All the Pokémon are the same, but the battle styles are completely different."  
"Why can't we go in these three?" I asked whilst pointing to the doors to the mascot's left.  
"Well, those leaders are in the Pokémon centre, healing their Pokémon after some battles," he said. "Right, so the leaders all use rock types and they're weak to both water and grass types."  
"Well, I'll take the right door. Flint's a nice name," said Green, walking through the furthest left door. Blue walked over to Brock's door and asked, "Do you mind if I take on Brock?" I waved a hand nonchalantly and he walked through.  
"Do you have any extra hints? You see, I haven't got any grass or water types," I asked the mascot.  
"Well… do you have any fighting or steel types?" he questioned back.  
"I have a Pokémon with Metal Claw, is that enough?"  
"We'll see. You have a good heart, I can already tell that. I think you can win, no matter what Pokémon you have. Good luck!"

I slowly opened the door that would lead into the gym and my first gym badge. I walked into the stadium and was met by Forrest. At least, I thought it was…  
"Stop right there, kid! You're ten thousand light-years from facing Forrest!" shouted a trainer.  
"Hey! Where is Forrest?" I asked him. He seemed to ignore me and sent out a Sandshrew. I sighed; annoyed my question wouldn't be answered. I said to Kakuna to go to the battlefield and prepared myself for battle.  
"Well, looks like we have a willing challenger. I'm Forrest, and if you can beat my student, then you may battle me," said a voice from the stands. That motivated me to beat the trainer and battle Forrest. I think Kakuna realised this and stood up higher.

* * *

"Alright, let's win this. Start out with Bug Bite!" I ordered. Kakuna latched on to Sandshrew's head, eating its Oran Berry to heal itself.  
"Use Sand Attack!" shouted the other trainer as Sandshrew flung sand into Kakuna's eyes.  
"It's OK, just concentrate. Use Poison Sting to a 45 degree radius!" I theorised. Kakuna sprayed Poison Sting across the gym and Sandshrew got hit. Sandshrew then suddenly looked very ill and stumbled over a bit.  
"We can get through this," he encouraged. "Use Dig and hit Kakuna from behind!"  
"Turn around and wait for it!" I instructed. She turned around and bided her time. Sandshrew popped up, but behind Kakuna, in other words, in front of her before she turned. Kakuna got knocked to the ground and started to glow. The shape of Kakuna changed into a larger insect and then she started to fly.  
"Heh! Take on my newly evolved Beedrill," I happily cheered. "Now use Fury Attack!"  
"Try and dodge it, Sandshrew," the other trainer anxiously advised. Beedrill, however, was way too fast for Sandshrew and kept repeatedly hitting it with its needles. After she had finished attacking, Beedrill flew away from a fainted Sandshrew with swirly eyes.  
"Darn, go Diglett!" said the other trainer, throwing out another Poké ball, containing a small brown mole.  
"OK… Use Fury Attack!" I ordered. Beedrill dived downwards.  
"Underground," said the other trainer. Diglett quickly ducked underground.  
"Tuck your body in, go into the hole and use Harden," I advised. She tucked her needles inwards and her legs collapsed to her body. She slipped into the hole and a few silent seconds passed before we both saw Beedrill leave the hole with a few cuts and scrapes. A moment later Diglett popped out of the ground from another hole with a few bruises and a slightly dented nose.  
"Are you OK, Diglett?" asked the other trainer. Diglett responded with a head bob and a faltering cry. "Well, it's going to be OK. Use Mud-Slap."  
"Dodge it and use Bug Bite!" I instructed, however Beedrill was the one who wasn't fast enough this time and crash landed on the floor, trying to shake the mud off.  
"Brilliant, now use Scratch," commanded the other trainer.  
"Fly upwards, Beedrill," I instructed. She flew upwards, avoiding the Diglett's attack. "Great, now use Harden and Fury Attack whilst falling," I directed. Beedrill executed the plan to perfection, leaving the Diglett fainted. However, Beedrill looked in bad condition and landed on the floor with a soft thud on the floor, panting softly.

* * *

"Well, well, well… I should've remembered that a light-year is a measure of distance, not time," said the other trainer, shaking my hand as he spoke. "Well, I think you'll do fine against Forrest."  
"We'll soon see," announced Forrest as he walked down from the stands. "My big brother may be the most well-known gym leader from Pewter City, but I'm the best in terms of technique. Do you think you can break our rock-solid armour? Go, Geodude!" A small rock with arms popped out of the Poké ball and hit the ground.  
"Hmmm, we'll see who can break armour. Go Charmander," I retorted. Charmander ran on to the battlefield and growled at the opponent.  
"Rock Tomb!" ordered Forrest. Geodude sent down a barricade of rocks and Charmander looked slower after he climbed out of the rubble.  
"Use Ember, then dodge to the left."  
"No, use Rock Throw."  
"Go, right!" I quickly instructed. Charmander stepped to the right and the thrown rock skimmed his head. He then released a few embers, and stepped to the right, releasing a smokescreen.  
"Use an all over Rock Tomb," said Forrest. Geodude did as instructed but missed Charmander entirely.  
"Use Metal Claw!" I shouted. Charmander's claws extended and shined with a metallic sheen and ran into the smokescreen. We soon heard the sound of scraping and Charmander jumped back out of the smokescreen as it cleared, leaving a Geodude with spiral eyes and Forrest looking annoyed at how easily his Geodude had been defeated.  
"Fine, show them your best, Onix!" He shouted, throwing out another Poké ball. This time, a huge rocky snake appeared out of the Poké ball and it roared at Charmander. Filled with the confidence of the last battle, Charmander growled back, claws extending out further.  
"Well, use Metal Claw on it, Charmander," I said, as Charmander's claws shined, and he charged into Onix. Onix roared and his tail started to shine that same way as Charmander's claws and smacked it into Charmander's body, throwing him into the wall. Charmander dropped to the floor and groaned.  
"Are you OK?" I hurriedly asked. Charmander groaned again and then started to glow. I saw Charmander's body get bigger and his head develop a horn. He then stood back up and roared back at Onix. "Hell yeah! Use Metal Claw!" I cheered. Charmeleon's claws extended much further than they used to and he charged to Onix, his jaws covered in fiery embers as he bit down on Onix's body and slashed with his claws against his torso. Onix screeched out loudly.  
"I cannot lose to a fire type… Bind him!" shouted Forrest. Onix squeezed his tail around Charmeleon's body and caused him to cry weakly. Charmeleon must have been weaker than he made out because when he fell to the floor he barely managed to get up.  
"Use Smokescreen to get some recovery time," I advised. Charmeleon breathed out a heavy black smoke and covered the battlefield in heavy fog.  
"Use Rock Tomb!" shouted Forrest. Huge boulders fell from the ceiling and actually hit Charmeleon on the back and he collapsed with spiral eyes.  
"Darn. I believe in you… Go Pikachu!" I said as she scurried on to the battlefield, receiving laughs from both Forrest and the gym trainer.  
"Hahaha, a Pikachu?! It won't win, electric moves don't affect Onix!"  
"Exactly, so use Extremespeed, Pikachu," I retorted. Pikachu seemingly vanished into thin air, reappearing on Onix's head. Pikachu slammed into its head, causing it to roar.  
"Whoa! Alright, slow that Pikachu down with Rock Tomb," Forrest ordered. Onix, roared and large boulders came tumbling down again.  
"Quick, use Extremespeed to dodge and counter!" I quickly shouted, however Pikachu was well ahead of me and zoomed into action, where she bounced off of all the boulders and slammed her body into Onix's face, causing Onix to fall over and faint. Pikachu scurried back over to me and turned around. She cheered, knowing she'd won me my first badge.

* * *

Forrest came over to me and shook my hand. He said, "That was a fun battle, I've never seen such an intricate and amorphous battle technique before. Well, you won, fair and square. Here is the Boulderbadge. I'm looking forward to seeing what else you can do." He handed me the badge and I pinned it to my jacket. I shook his hand once more and left the room. Standing outside were Blue and Green, who were both dismayed and happy respectively.  
"I was hoping you would lose, but I suppose this means I'd better keep on top of my game," said Blue. His t-shirt also had a Boulderbadge on it. I then turned to Green, who also had a Boulderbadge, and she said, "I heard the ending commotion it sounded really intense. Well done!" It was with that I thanked her and we all went off to the Pokémon centre to get our Pokémon healed and to find somewhere to sleep for the night.

* * *

**Wow! That was so much fun to write! I hope you all enjoyed it. I bet you weren't expecting Charmander to evolve too! In chapter 7 we'll be making the trek across Route 3 but what else will happen? Tune in to find out! See you next time! Bye!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is chapter 7. This was much more difficult to write as this was not planned... I think I need to write a plan for a chapter before writing it... Hope you enjoy it! Please review honestly!  
**

* * *

Chapter 7 – Rocket to the Mt. Moon

* * *

After a restful night at the Pokémon centre, the purchasing of multiple Poké balls and potions and calling my mother to tell her about getting the Boulderbadge I stood outside the Poké mart waiting for Green to stop ogling at the Poké dolls.  
"So, how did your battle go?" asked Blue who leaning against the wall. Charmeleon stretched and Beedrill yawned as we took in the morning air.  
"It was highly enjoyable, actually," I replied. "My Kakuna evolved during the battle with the gym trainer and Charmeleon became Charmeleon in the battle against Forrest."  
"Wow! My Squirtle evolved and learned a new move. What moves do your Pokémon now have?" asked Blue as Green came out of the Poké mart, thankfully empty handed.  
"Well, Charmeleon has now got Ember, Fire Fang, Metal Claw and Smokescreen. Beedrill has Bug Bite, Fury Attack, Poison Sting and Harden. Pikachu has Thundershock, Extremespeed and Tail Whip," I listed.  
"It sounds like Pikachu needs a bit of training," Blue replied. Pikachu turned his nose up at this comment and shot off a ball of electricity from his tail towards a random rock.  
"OK, so Pikachu has Electro Ball too. What moves to your Pokémon have then?"  
"Oh, so that's what we're talking about!" realised Green, suddenly intrigued.  
"Yes. Wartortle has Water Gun, Bite, Tackle and Withdraw. Pidgey has… Gust, Tackle, Sand-Attack and Aerial Ace. Eevee has Tackle, Helping Hand, Quick Attack and Growl," said Blue.  
"Well, nobody asked me yet but my pok-"  
"Sorry, we we're going to ask you, honestly," interrupted Blue.  
"OK, seriously, you need to stop interrupting everybody. Anyway, my Bulbasaur has Vine Whip, Tackle, Growl and Leech Seed, my Butterfree has Confusion, Poisonpowder, Stun Spore and Sleep Powder. My Spearow has Peck, Leer, Fury Attack and Pursuit," said Green, sounding proud of her Pokémon.  
"Your Bulbasaur hasn't evolved yet? Meh. Cerulean City is place of the next gym. It'll mean we'll be going through Mt. Moon. Are we ready to go?" asked Blue. Both me and Green nodded and collected our Pokémon. Pikachu settled back on my shoulder and Beedrill sat on my other shoulder, leaving Charmeleon to walk alongside me.

* * *

After a few wild Pokémon battles (and of course Blue catching a Jigglypuff and a male Nidoran) we arrived at the entrance to the mountain. We healed our tiring Pokémon in the centre and headed into the dark cave.  
"Hey, Green, I've heard many Clefairy live here. Are you going to try and find one?" I asked. Green turned to me with wide eyes and nodded so hard I was surprised her head stayed on! She rushed off to the distance to try and find one, leaving me with Blue to wander through the lit cave.  
"She can move well, can't she?" asked Blue rhetorically, watching Green as she scoured the area.  
"Well. Do you want to go off and find any Pokémon you can catch?" I asked politely, expecting a scenario similar to Viridian Forest. I was surprised to see Blue shake his head.  
"I don't want to catch a Pokémon that you had battled again. Besides, that Machop looks like it wants to battle one of us," stated Blue, pointing towards a heavily dented rock and a small humanoid figure with protruding ribs and a ripped physique.

"I'll give it a go!" I announced. "Go Pikachu!"  
"Are you NUTS!" shouted Blue, scaring off a few Zubat in the process. "Pikachu's the least trained of your Pokémon. It'll faint too easily!"  
"No, this Pikachu's resourceful. Use Thundershock!" I ordered. Pikachu sent out a small spark but Machop dashed surprisingly quickly out of its reach. It then smashed its hand on Pikachu's back and jumped back over to the rock, taking back its battle stance.  
"Are you OK?" I asked. Pikachu got up and dusted itself off. She then gave me thumbs up and turned back to Machop. "Good. Let's use Electro Ball!"  
"MAAAAA!" yelled Machop as a sudden explosion from the ceiling engulfed it in dislodged stalactites and other general rubble. Pikachu discharged its Electro Ball and all of us hurried over to free it from the rocks.

* * *

"There's no point. Pokémon are just tools and as such are expendable and replaceable," said a voice form above. We looked up and saw a woman hovering down from above with long purple hair. She turned off the switch to the jet pack and landed with a soft thump on the floor. She sneered at us as she stood there with her hair falling to her knees. She wore a loose black suit with a red R stamped into the middle of the jacket.  
"Who are you?" I coldly asked whilst I pushed rocks to the side of the pile.  
"I told you, there's no point in trying to help it. My name is… no. My executive name is Europa. Since you can't stop us, I'll tell you why I'm here. I'm here as the… most gorgeous representative of Team Rocket to find the fossils of Pokémon from years ago. Do you know what they might be?" She asked, pedantically.  
"Of course we do, they're Omanyte and Kabuto," responded Blue.  
"Ah, ah, ah. You forgot about Aerodactyl. We plan to find the fossils and take over the world using their powers."  
"That's despicable!" I shouted.  
"I know!" sang Europa. "There's nothing you can do about it!"  
"I can! You are all disgusting! Use Thundershock on them, Pikachu!" I shouted. Pikachu shot off a small spark to Europa. She simply shrugged it off, laughing at how weak the attack was.  
"I don't think I'll end up doing what two other members of our team used to do. Your Pikachu's too weak to chase!" she scoffed. Pikachu got really angry at this and she shot off a bolt of electricity at Europa. She fell down, slightly blackened and annoyed.  
"It's still too weak to stop me. Let's go!" she coldly announced. Her grunts followed her through the hole in the ceiling and they walked deeper into the cave.

* * *

As the last of the rubble was removed, Machop was uncovered and I picked it up. I grabbed a super potion from my bag and sprayed it on Machop. Machop's eyes opened slowly as it took in what had happened. It looked up, saw me and smiled.  
"Hello! Are you feeling alright?" I asked it. Machop suddenly hugged me and started to cry. I let it cry and hugged it back as we took in the moment. Machop stopped crying and sat back down on my lap, sobbing every now and then. Machop then pointed towards the Poké balls on my belt.  
"I think Machop wants to come with us, or more specifically… you!" said Blue. Machop nodded and I got out a Poké ball from my backpack. I tapped Machop on the forearm and it got sucked into the capsule. I started to wobble… 1… 2… 3… Ping! I released Machop from his ball and he stood up on the ground. Pikachu, Charmeleon and Beedrill all happily rushed over and welcomed him to the team.  
"Now, we stop team Rocket," said Blue to cheers from me and my team.

* * *

We travelled further into the cave to find any sign of Team Rocket and found nothing. We headed to the last main chamber and saw Europa at the end of it, talking to another executive who looked strangely familiar… We headed through the chamber, defeating the grunts along the way in uneventful and unchallenging battles. We got to Europa and the other executive who was with her disappeared quickly. However, she remained next to a quivering schoolboy. He held in his hands some rocks and his head was seemingly being crushed by Europa's hand.  
"Silly little boy. He doesn't realise how brilliant our plan is. Are you going to save him too?" she asked, again treating us like babies.  
"Your plan is not brilliant, your plan is horrible and your plan is going to FAIL! GO MACHOP!" I shouted, my voice getting louder as the speech went on.  
"You think you can just battle me fairly? No. Go Venomoth and Gloom!" she said, sending out two Poké balls at the same time.  
"Fine, if you can, we can. Go Wartortle!" replied Blue.  
"Fine. Both of you use Sludge Bomb," Europa ordered. Venomoth and Gloom charged up their poison.  
"Dodge to the left and use Ice Punch on Gloom," I said to Machop.  
"Use Water Gun on Venomoth," said Blue to Wartortle. Machop stepped to the left and sped towards Gloom with his fist glowing a light blue. Wartortle shot off a quick blast of water and collided with Venomoth's sludge. Gloom shot its sludge to Wartortle and hit him in the stomach, causing him to bend over and clutch his abdomen. Machop punched Gloom in the face and froze it on the spot.  
"No! You are so USELESS!" shouted Europa. "Ugh! Use Giga Drain Wartortle, Gloom. You use Silver Wind on Machop."  
"Focus Energy, Machop," I said. Machop tightened its focus and aimed at the opponents' weak spots.  
"Use Water Gun again, but aim to the left of Venomoth," advised Blue. The Silver Wind blew to our right hand side and Wartortle shot another blast of water. It hit Venomoth squarely in the face and it flew backwards into the wall.  
"You two are both so useless," said Europa. "I wonder why I keep you both sometimes… Use Sunny Day, Venomoth. Gloom, you use Solarbeam."  
"Machop, Ice Punch on Gloom," I ordered. Machop started to charge up the ice on his hand.  
"Bite Venomoth, Wartortle," said Blue. Wartortle ran over to Venomoth. Machop smashed his hand against Gloom's weak spot at the same time as Wartortle bit Venomoth on the wing. Venomoth fell to the ground and Wartortle stepped back, looking at Venomoth's swirly eyes. Machop walked back over to my side of the battlefield and Gloom stood there with swirly eyes, balanced upright by the ice caused by Ice Punch.

* * *

"NO! You… you must have cheated. You two are going to feel my wrath sometime," stuttered Europa. "Ugh… I'll be back to take you down."  
"Yes, and we will have trained by then so expect the same result. Bye!" Blue kindly said. Europa and the grunts all ran for the exit. The boy with the rocks stood up and dusted himself off. He picked up the rocks from the floor and breathed a sigh of relief.  
"Th-thank you. Here, ha-have one of these," he said, offering us one of the rocks he was holding on to. "It's one of the fossils needed on Cinnabar Island. If you take it there, you can restore it to its former glory."  
"I'm sorry, what do you mean?" asked Blue.  
"Oh, sorry. If revived, it can be used as a Pokémon. This is a Kabuto fossil," he said, showing us a rock with an outline of a domed shell and claw. He then showed us a rock with an outline of a spiral shell.  
"I'm guessing this is Omanyte?" I asked. The boy nodded and held out the two fossils and asked us again which one we wanted.  
"You were the one who did most of the work, you get to choose which one you want," offered Blue. I was stunned by his courteousness but accepted nonetheless. I pointed at the Kabuto fossil and he placed it into my hands. I looked at it for a second, thanked the boy and put the fossil into my bag.  
"I wonder if Green has made it to the other side of the tunnel yet?" pondered Blue.  
"Nope, but I'm right here!" said Green cheerfully. "Look at my new teammate! Say hello, Clefairy!"  
"Clefairy!" said a little pink Pokémon with two small wings. It danced around on the floor and happily waved to Charmeleon, Pikachu and Machop. It then jumped up and smiled at Beedrill with a wide smile. They all waved and smiled back.  
"He appeared to me next to a huge Moon Stone. Did you know there was a sign there? It says 'Ash was here, Gary is a loser'."  
"Well, let's go to the Pokémon centre to heal up and rest," I said. "You never know, we might meet Ash or Gary someday." And with that, we headed to the exit of Mt. Moon and as such we were also headed to Cerulean City.

"Hey, there's a sign here. It says 'Gary was here, Ash is a loser'. I guess they were rivals then!"

* * *

**Well there you have it. An evil team introduced (though it was expected really) and a new Pokemon for both Red and Green. I have an opportunity for an OC (in the fossil boy) and will accept any offers for: name, personality, hometown (optional), and party (team has to have one gen 2 pokemon and the rest gen 1)**

**Also don't forget to vote on the poll and take part in the forum. See you next time! Bye!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! Today our trio will be facing the next gym, but will there be any surprises along the way? I want to thank Tyhe2476 for his continual support and hints. Also, the poll isn't too full at the moment and won't be closing anytime soon, so please fill in the question. Plaese review this honestly and enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 8 – Cerulean Gym

The next day I woke up to hear the sound of a distant punch-up and flustered crying. I woke Blue and Green up and charged out of the Pokémon centre with Charmeleon and Machop alongside me. Pikachu lifted up her ears and pointed me to the source of the crying and Beedrill flew on ahead to do what he could. We arrived at a trashed house to see a Team Rocket member escape from the back and a police officer at the front of the house.  
"I'm sorry; there has been a robbery at this house. You cannot go in," said the officer.  
"But… maybe I can help to catch the fugitive!" I protested.  
"Sorry. I cannot allow that," replied the officer. A man then came out of the house, crying and looking rather beaten up.  
"They stole my TM!" he cried. "I was going to teach that to a Mankey or a Sandshrew… Maybe I should just get a Diglett. They learn it naturally." He walked off to the hospital, clutching his hand tentatively.

* * *

I walked back over to Blue and Green, who were still stretching at the entrance to the Pokémon centre.  
"So… did you get to be a hero?" yawned Green. She stretched her hands above her head and I could hear her back clicking. I winced as it cracked and responded with a desolate shake of the head.  
"Well, never mind," said Blue. "On a different topic, is everybody ready for today's battles?"  
"Relatively… If the leader has 2 Pokémon then yes, if she has 3 Pokémon then I'm a bit worried," I said. I was secretly worried if she had 4 Pokémon because Charmeleon had a weakness to them all.  
"Well, never mind that. Let's just go in and do the best that we can," reassured Green. It was with that message that we all walked into the gym and greeted the mascot (it was right next to the Pokémon centre. Handy, right?).  
"Hello and welcome to the Cerulean Gym. The gym leaders all use water type Pokémon. There are three leaders currently available: Daisy in the door to my left, Lily in the door to my right and Misty is in the furthest right hand door," said the mascot, pointing to all the respective doors.  
"Lily sounds like a lovely name. I'll go in this door," said Green, heading to Lily's door.  
"I'll take on Misty. You don't mind, right?" I asked Blue. He waved a hand nonchalantly and I walked into the room. I felt my leg shaking as I nervously took my first steps into the gym. I noticed that the battlefield was made up of a pool and multiple floating pads.

* * *

"So… you want to battle me and get your next badge?" said a childlike voice from the other side of the gym. I looked up to see who I assumed was Misty and nodded. "Good. I like those with ambition. However, before you can battle me, you are going to have to beat my gym trainer."  
"Misty won't have to get involved. I can take you down," she said whilst stepping out of the shadows. "Go, Seaking!"  
"A Seaking… haven't met one yet. Well, go Machop," I considered. Machop jumped on to the nearest pad and struck a battle pose whilst Seaking dived into the pool and rushed through the water. "Let's go. Machop, use Seismic Toss."  
"Seaking, stay underwater and use Horn Attack!" shouted the other trainer. Seaking charged through the water and barraged Machop with its horn. Machop grabbed Seaking's horn on the last hit and threw it upwards.  
"Great, use Karate Chop when it falls back down!" I quickly ordered. Seaking fell back down and Machop slammed his hand against Seaking's body, sending him flying across the battlefield and back into the water, but on the other trainer's side.  
"Are you OK?" asked the other trainer. Seaking popped up on the other side of the field and splashed angrily. "Great! Use Water Pulse and confuse Machop!"  
"That's what I wanted. Machop, now!" I shouted. Machop surprised the other trainer by diving into the water, swimming to it and using Seismic Toss from underwater. The Water Pulse splashed against the wall behind me and Seaking once again flew into the air, this time landing on one of the pads heavily. Seaking still managed to flop itself into the water and it bared its horn at Machop as he got back on to the pad.  
"Ha! She has much more vitality than you'd think. Use Poison Jab!" bragged the other trainer. Seaking started to swim towards Machop with her horn ebbing deep purple.  
"Machop, I know you will get poisoned from this, but when Seaking jumps up use Karate Chop on its horn," I quickly instructed. Machop agreed, to my happiness, and braced itself. Seaking jumped out of the water, just as expected, and Machop slammed his hand against Seaking's horn and she flew back into the wall. A critical hit! Seaking cried out weakly and flopped slowly back into the water and Machop suddenly looked very ill.  
"Can you still battle, Machop?" I asked, concerned.  
"He'll have to be, I only have one Pokémon," said the gym trainer. I was confused by this, but continued nonetheless to thumbs up from Machop. "Use Karate Chop!"  
"Fine, you use Peck, Seaking," said the other trainer. Seaking charged at Machop and Machop was… not moving! Peck landed hard on Machop's arm and as Seaking started to move away Machop smashed his fists into Seaking's stomach, throwing her into the ceiling before she landed with a heavy splash into the water. Machop recoiled as the effects from poison landed, but Seaking floated up to the surface with spiral eyes. Machop stood up proud for a moment before doubling over with poison's effects.

"You put up a good battle, and your Machop learned Revenge at the right time! I think you'll hold your own easily against Misty," congratulated the other trainer, shaking my hand simultaneously. Machop staggered back over to me and wished my other Pokémon good luck.  
"Do you want to go into your Poké ball?" I asked Machop. Unsurprisingly, he agreed and I shot a red beam from the Poké ball at him and he weakly sighed as he returned, for the first time to his Poké ball. "You rest well, you've earned it."  
"Now you're up against me!" said Misty as she stepped towards the other side of the battlefield. "I have 3 Pokémon, so you choose your three." Utterly confused by this, I picked the three I had left, though I worried that Charmeleon would be seriously injured.  
"Fine, I pick Pikachu to go first," I decisively said. Pikachu jumped on to the nearest platform and scratched its ear with its hind leg.  
"Nice choice, but nonetheless, go Staryu!" said Misty whilst throwing out her Poké ball. A strange star shaped Pokémon came out of the beam produced and landed on the nearest platform to Misty, flashing its core twice. "Let's go!"

* * *

"Use Water Pulse, Staryu!" shouted Misty. Staryu bent its top appendage and blasted a ring of water towards Pikachu.  
"Quick, use Electro Ball!" I quickly suggested. Pikachu shot off the ball of electricity, and it collided with the Water Pulse, causing an explosion in the middle. "Now use Thunderbolt!"  
"No! Underwater, now!" shouted Misty. Staryu quickly dived underwater and Thunderbolt missed, leaving Misty looking smug at first. Her expression changed to confusion then panic as I smugly ordered, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the water." Pikachu shot the electricity out of her cheek's electricity sacs into the water, causing Staryu to jump out of the water in pain, slamming back down on the pad with a soft thud. Staryu picked itself up and flashed its core 3 times quickly.  
"Use Rapid Spin, Staryu," instructed Misty. Staryu jumped up and started spinning so fast it stayed airborne and flew straight to Pikachu.  
"Dodge and use Electro Ball," I called out. Pikachu wasn't fast enough and got smacked in the face multiple times, leaving her with a red mark below her right electricity sac. Pikachu jumped to the next pad and jumped upwards, swinging her tail around and smashing it into Staryu's core and sending it flying into Misty. Staryu's core flashed slowly twice and stayed still.  
"Nice work with my Staryu, but can you take on my next Pokémon? Go, Starmie!"  
"You did well, Pikachu. Have a rest for a while," I congratulated. Pikachu jumped back over to me and turned back to watch the rest of the match whilst Misty threw out her second Poké ball, this time containing what looked to be two Staryu stuck together, and shot the beam on to the nearest platform to her again. "Let's see how you can handle this. Go for it, Beedrill!"  
"A Bug type! Eww!" said Misty, obviously grossed out. "Use Water Pulse to get rid of it."  
"Dodge and use Twineedle to stick it to them!" I confidently spoke. Beedrill rose upwards and avoided the Water Pulse. She then dived very quickly into Starmie, causing massive damage to it, due to its weakness.  
"Argh! I forgot that Starmie is part Psychic… Wait, Beedrill is part Poison too," Misty pondered. "Aha, use Psychic!"  
"Dodge it Beedrill," I said. Beedrill tried rising upwards again, but got hit by the move and fell back downwards. A critical hit… "Use Poison Sting, Beedrill," I stammered. Beedrill sent out a myriad of needles from his abdomen stinger and hit Starmie in the core. Starmie's core flashed many different colours and it cried angrily.  
"Use Water Pulse to take it down!" screamed Misty. Starmie shot out a steamy jet of water instead and burnt Beedrill, causing her great pain.  
"Are you OK?!" I asked, clearly panicked as none of my Pokémon had ever been burnt before. Beedrill weakly cried out, but rose back up slowly. "Alright, if you're sure... use Bug Bite."  
"Ha-ha, use Scald again, Starmie," laughed Misty. Starmie shot another jet of steam and, once again, burnt Beedrill, this time causing her to fall to the ground. I looked over to see if she was OK, but her eyes were swirly so I recalled her to her Poké ball.  
"OK, it looks like it's up to you Char-"  
"PIKA!" interrupted Pikachu, looking like she was raring to go. Charmeleon honourably let Pikachu go out if it wanted to and watched happily, as he didn't like water.  
"OK, let's see if Starmie can handle Pikachu. Use Thunderbolt!" I shouted. Pikachu let loose a large bolt of electricity and it caught Starmie right in the core. Starmie bent over with the pain and flashed its core a few times.  
"OK, use Recover, Starmie," said Misty, surprisingly calm. Starmie surrounded itself with a green aura and it looked like most of its wounds had healed.  
"No! Use Thunderbolt again, Pikachu!" I ordered. Pikachu let loose another huge bolt of electricity and it hit Starmie on its right "arm".  
"Use Recover again, Starmie!" Misty playfully chanted. Starmie started to cover itself in the green aura again but stopped when it got covered instead by sparks of paralysis. "NO!"  
"Yes! Use Slam on Starmie!" I sang. Pikachu jumped up and smashed her tail into Starmie, sending it flying across the room and into Misty, just like Staryu before it.  
"You still have one other Pokémon to take down… go Psyduck!" shouted Misty. She threw out her last Poké ball and… it landed on the pad, still closed. Pikachu and I both turned our heads in confusion whilst looking at it and then it opened up, showing a yellow duck-like Pokémon, however it was sleeping. Pikachu and I both sweat dropped at this and looked at Misty to see her seething with anger.  
"WAKE UP YOU STUPID POKÉMON!" Misty screeched. Psyduck opened its eyes slowly and yawned. It then got up and scratched its back and looked lazily over to Pikachu.  
"Psy?" It said stupidly.  
"Psyduck, use… Water Gun?" Misty desperately asked. Psyduck just yawned again, causing Misty to stamp her foot in rage.  
"Wake Psyduck up with a little Thunderzap," I whispered to Pikachu. Pikachu jumped over to Psyduck and gave it a tiny jolt of electricity. Psyduck fainted, despite how powerful the Thunderzap wasn't. I looked over to Misty and she just sweat dropped.

* * *

Misty recalled Psyduck to its Poké ball and swam over to me, whilst Pikachu simultaneously skipped over to me. Misty stretched out a reluctant hand and I shook it, thanking her for a wonderful battle. She grunted, still obviously dismayed about her Psyduck acting up, and handed me my second badge: the Cascadebadge. I thanked her once again and headed back to the entrance room to wait for Blue, and to see Green, of who got her badge too.  
"Yay! You got your badge too? Brilliant!" cheered Green. She ran over and hugged me and petted Pikachu and Charmeleon. "Blue is still battling in there and Wartortle has been crying out painfully for a fair while now…"  
"TOOOR-tlllle!"  
"See?" said Green, the concern prominent in her voice. The door then suddenly slammed open and Blue stomped out of the room.  
"I will prove you wrong!" shouted Blue to the open doorway. The door simply drifted shut and Blue stomped out of the gym. Raising a brow to this, Green and I followed him out. Blue turned the corner and headed into the Pokémon centre. Misty then appeared from behind me, looking rather sheepish. Green headed into the Pokémon centre to get us a room for the night.  
"I'm sorry that I didn't take my defeat so graciously. I've been trying to train that Psyduck to do… anything for longer than I'm usually ashamed to admit," explained Misty. "Anyway, I forgot to five you this, the TM for Water Pulse. I also forgot to give you this, the TM for Rock Tomb."  
"I'm confused, why are you giving me TMs and why you're giving me Rock Tomb when none of your Pokémon can learn it?" I asked.  
"Forrest forgot to give you the TM at Pewter, so he sent it to me via Pidgey to give to you," Misty explained further. "Right, so I'm off to the Pokémon centre to talk to your friend (why am I always stuck with this) and to heal my Pokémon. Good luck with the next gym!"

* * *

I headed towards the Pokémon centre after Blue, Green and Misty to find a videophone to call my mum, when all of a sudden…  
"HI!" shouted a voice from down the street. I turned to see who it was. I was surprised to see the fossil boy from Mt. Moon.  
"Hello… What are you doing here?" I asked. The boy caught up to me and leaned against the wall as he caught his breath.  
"I… I want to… come with… you…" said the boy. I was confused by this and raised my brow. The boy stood up taller (he'd caught his breath back by now) and explained this. "I would like to come with you on your journey. I might be able to help you, and you'd stop the weirdo people in black suits from hurting me."  
"Sounds like a fair deal. I'll have to talk to the others though," I replied. He nodded and walked back from where he came. "Meet up with us here-ish tomorrow morning!"  
"OK!" he shouted back, continuing his way back to wherever it was he came from. I headed into the Pokémon centre to heal my Pokémon and get my rest for the night as the battle took a surprising long time. I walked in to see Blue complaining about his battle (saying that the Psyduck shouldn't have evolved during battle) and Green talking to the nurse.  
"I could get used to this," I thought. I headed to the room Green had booked with Blue quickly following me and Green showing me the way.

On a side note, the boy will be joining me soon. Both Blue and Green agreed that new company would be nice for a change and welcomed the opportunity.

* * *

**So, there will be new company for the trio, but why? I know this, you will soon! There is still an opportunity for you to send in OCs for me to use, but act quickly, because the OC will be picked and used from the next chapter. You can also send me multipe OCs by review or by PM, so don't be shy about sending them in.**

**Also, check out my forum and discuss... anything about the fanfic. The poll has been linked into the forum and I would really appreciate any votes at all. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you next time! Bye!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Right, this chapter is super long, I apologise for this but I don't think I could've done this chapter in two parts. Today Blue is going to rebattle the gym leader, but what will Red and Green get up to? Please review honestly!**

* * *

Chapter 9 – Second Attempts & Bill

I woke up the next morning, refreshed and rather happy. I looked over to Pikachu and Charmeleon, both of which had curled up together for warmth and comfort, and smiled. I then looked up to see Beedrill hovering above me, looking rather refreshed itself, and then I smiled at her too. I looked back to the foot of the bed to see Machop lifting some dumbbells the Pokémon centre had obviously lent to him (it said PC on the handle). I got out of bed and stretched, producing a strange groan at the same time. Machop put down his dumbbell and shook Charmeleon gently awake. Charmeleon yawned loudly and produced a small ember upon the exhale, both of which woke Pikachu up. Pikachu opened her eyes and also yawned. She then stretched her back legs out and shook her head viciously. She then stood up, walked over to me and placed her hands on my knees.  
"Pikachu!" she said with a smile. I knew what she was up to…  
"Yes, you can go and wake up Blue!" I laughed. Pikachu then fist pumped, walked over to Blue's bed and used Thunderbolt on him. Blue then screeched, jumped up and landed face first on the floor. Charmeleon chuckled at this and Machop went to pick up Blue. It had just occurred to me that I hadn't checked the data for any of my Pokémon, and while Blue dusted off I got out the underused device.  
"Charmeleon. This Pokémon is quite calm, but when enraged its tail fire flares up much more than usual, however this can also occur when Charmeleon are exited or nervous. Nature: Relaxed. Level: 26. Moves: Ember, Fire Fang, Metal Claw, Smokescreen." I was quite proud of this and turned the Pokédex to Pikachu and she pricked her ears up to see what it had to say about her.  
"Pikachu. This Pokémon can sometimes get what appear to be colds, but are in reality overcharge in their cheek pouches. Nature: Jolly. Level: 27. Moves: Thunderbolt, Electro Ball, Extremespeed, Slam." Pikachu jumped for joy when she heard it, pleased with the analysis. I then pointed the Pokédex at Beedrill and she dropped lightly on to the bed, so that I don't have to hold the Pokédex upwards the entire time.  
"Beedrill. These usually form large colonies in deeply wooded areas, such as Viridian Forest, and raise their young there. However, this can be trouble as they can sometimes claim territory that is already somebody else's." Beedrill looked slightly upset by this.  
"Don't worry, you don't follow the stereotype. I think you're wonderful!" I comforted. Beedrill looked very content with what I said and continued to listen.  
"Nature: Quiet. Level: 24. Moves: Twineedle, Fury Attack, Poison Sting, Bug Bite." I then turned to Machop to see his data.  
"Machop. These Pokémon are usually found training by punching rocks on the floor or on a solid cave wall. This allows the Pokémon to be able to master their strength and endurance. Nature: Serious. Level: 27. Moves: Ice Punch, Karate Chop, Seismic Toss, Revenge."

"So, are you done playing with your toy?" asked Blue. I looked up from the device and saw Blue, fully dressed and raring to go. "Besides, I thought you had to meet the fossil boy?"  
"AH! I forgot!" I shouted, scaring all my Pokémon with my sudden outburst. I quickly got dressed, threw on my jacket and sped out of the room. Green was waiting for us in the reception area with the boy from Mt. Moon and she saw us, and then promptly pointed at her watch. I ran over to meet them and Blue waved goodbye to us.  
"Where is he going?" asked the boy. I still felt impolite to not know his name and sat down with him and Green.  
"He's going to the gym to battle the leader again. He lost yesterday…" I quietly said. "I know this is a bit off topic, but what is your name?"  
"My name is Zachary. You can call me Zach if you want," he announced. "What are your names?"  
"I'm Greg, but please, call me Red. The one who just left was Tom, but he'd want you to call him Blue. And this is Green. I can't tell you her real name because…"  
"I HATE it!" Green interrupted. "Sorry for shouting. By the way, what are you doing with your Pokémon? We're going to challenge the Pokémon league in Indigo Plateau!"  
"Well, I left last year actually. I was planning on taking on the league last year, but I only got my 5th badge by the time it came to application. So I now work as a junior scientist for the Cinnabar Island laboratory of prehistoric Pokémon," he recited carefully. Both me and Green looked at each other in approval and got up to leave. "So, where are you going today?" Zach asked.  
"With any luck, Vermilion City," I responded.

* * *

I headed up to the north of Cerulean City to find a rather bright and shiny bridge with trainers strewn across it. I met a rather strange man at the beginning of the bridge and he shook my hand. He had a rather unnatural-looking fat body and a thin neck.  
"Hello and welcome to Nugget Bridge! If you all manage to defeat the trainer allocated to each of you, you'll be able to cross the bridge, but most importantly you'll be able to claim this wonderful prize!" he quickly spouted. He reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a small golden lump. "This Nugget!"  
"What's so great about a Nugget?" I asked.  
"You shall face this Bug Catcher," he said, pulling me to one side of the bridge whilst simultaneously ignoring my question. He then turned to Green and pulled her in front of a Picnicker. Zach then stepped in front of the Hiker.  
"You shall all compete in a triple battle against these three trainers. The trio that wins gets a trio of Nuggets. You get to use one Pokémon each, so choose wisely. Also, dodging won't be possible with the limited space. Begin!"

"Alright, go Geodude!" said the hiker. The bug catcher silently sent out a Parasect and the picnicker waited for us to send out our Pokémon.  
"Alright, let's use our starters, OK?" I asked. The other two nodded and we all sent in our first Pokémon. Charmeleon ran on to the battlefield and growled at the opponents. Ivysaur walked out on to the bridge calmly and bowed a little and the Poké ball for Zach's starter opened up and out came a greeny yellow quadruped with a leaf on top of its head and a vine-like collar.  
"Alright, let's go Meowth!" announced the picnicker. Meowth sprang out of the Poké ball and hissed.  
"Razor Leaf!" screamed both Green and Zach at the same time.  
"Use Ember, Charmeleon!" I ordered. Charmeleon sprayed small spits of fire at the opponents and the combined Razor Leaves cut up the opponents badly. Geodude fainted due to weakness and Parasect looked very tired.  
"Spore…" said the bug catcher quietly.  
"Use Pay Day, Meowth," sang the picnicker. Meowth showered Charmeleon with coins and he recoiled from the attack. Ivysaur fell asleep from Parasect's attack and wouldn't wake up.  
"Wake up!" cried Green. Ivysaur stayed sleeping and Green sighed.  
"Use Body Slam, Bayleef!" shouted Zach. It jumped above the Meowth and smashed its body into the ground. When Bayleef got up Meowth had swirly eyes and had to be withdrawn from battle.  
"Alright, let's finish this with Fire Fang!" I confidently ordered. Charmeleon ran over to the Parasect with his teeth on Fire and bit down on the mushroom. Parasect flailed its pincers in the air for a second, and then slumped down on the ground. It was already over.

* * *

"Wow! That was quite the spar. OK, here you go. A Nugget each," said the strange man, handing each of us a golden lump. "You know, with your talents you could become big in Team Rocket. Will you join us?" he suddenly asked.  
"No," we all said in unison.  
"Please?"  
"No!"  
"You could all become executives!"  
"NO!"  
"Fine…" he said coldly. He took off his jacket and t-shirt to reveal the jacket of Team Rocket. "If you won't come voluntarily, I'll take you by force. Go, Ekans and Sandshrew!"  
"Charmeleon, use Ember on Ekans!" I quickly retorted. Charmeleon spat out tiny globs of fire and caused Ekans to reel back.  
"Use Poison Sting and Scratch on Ivysaur!" shouted the man. Sandshrew jumped on Ekans and it swiftly slithered over to Ivysaur. Ekans then opened its mouth and released a swarm of tiny needles. Sandshrew then jumped off of Ekans' back and slashed Ivysaur across the face.  
"Ivysaur, are you OK?" asked Green. Ivysaur roared in response and Green got her game face back. "Alright, then use Leech Leaf!" she ordered. Ivysaur spat out some seeds from her bulb and some leaves from her back, causing the seeds to fall on the leaves and get cut into the enemies, allowing more health to be drained. Ivysaur's wounds mostly healed, but Ekans looked very tired. Sandshrew on the other hand was looking very healthy.  
"Use Dig!" ordered the Rocket member. Sandshrew shovelled his way underground and Charmeleon looked very confused.  
"Watch out! Jump up and use Ember again!" I quickly shouted. Charmeleon jumped up very high indeed and breathed out a quick burst of fire, enveloping Sandshrew and causing him to faint. Charmeleon landed heavily and faced the Rocket member, folding his arms in the process.  
"NO! Use Poison Jab, Ekans!" screamed the Rocket member. Ekans slithered over to Charmeleon with its tail glowing deep purple.  
"Ivysaur, stop it with Vine Whip!" Green shouted. Ivysaur extended a vine from its back and slapped Ekans hard across the face with it, causing it to faint. Ivysaur let her bulb spin for a second before posing.

* * *

"Ha, you showed him!" cheered Zach. The Team Rocket member just gawked at how easily he lost and ran back to Cerulean. We all continued along the path until…  
"Whoa! That Pidgey looks… different. I'd like to catch it. Is that OK?" I asked Green and Zach.  
"Well, you spotted it first. Good luck!" agreed Green. Zach nodded along with Green's words and I thanked them.  
"Alright, go Machop!" I shouted. The Pidgey turned around to look at the challenger and flapped its green wings in intimidation. "Use Seismic Toss on the Pidgey!"  
"Pidg-Pidgey!" screeched Pidgey as it flapped its wings hard. Machop fought through the Gust and jumped upwards, grabbed Pidgey and threw it into the ground. Pidgey stood up, dazed and fatigued.  
"Watch out, that Pidgey looks to be a lower level," suggested Zach. I nodded and threw a Poké ball at it. The capsule sucked in the Pidgey and shook 1… 2… Pop! The Pidgey broke out of the ball and sparkled.  
"I think that Pidgey is shiny! Catch it!" shouted Zach. I threw another Poké ball at it and it sucked the Pidgey inside. 1… 2… 3… Pop! The Pidgey broke out again and sprayed sand in Machop's face.  
"Come on," I thought as I threw another Poké ball at Pidgey. 1… 2… 3… Ping!  
"Yes!" shouted Zach. I turned and raised an eyebrow whilst chuckling. I then picked up the Poké ball and let Pidgey out. She sparkled as she spread her wings and swooped around the area. I got out my Pokédex to check her data.  
"Pidgey. These Pokémon tend to live in harmony with Rattata and prefer not to fight. However, they are pretty capable fighter when it comes down to the wire and will defend their trainer/territory with their lives. Nature: Sassy. Level: 14. Moves: Gust, Sand-Attack, Tackle, Quick Attack. This Pokémon is shiny."  
"What does it mean when a Pokémon is shiny?" I asked Zach.  
"It means that its colour is different. But, shiny Pokémon are incredibly rare. I haven't seen one since the incident with the Lake of Rage… and that was on telly," Zach explained. Pidgey then swooped down on to my shoulder and cooed. Pikachu jumped up on to my other shoulder, greeted Pidgey and balanced herself with her paw on my hat. I made sure they were settled and continued onwards.

* * *

We soon arrived at a building in a nihon jutaku style with a homemade sign outside that read 'gym'. We all walked in to see a few Pokémon using the gym equipment and a Sandslash diving into the pool.  
"So, you think you can take on my gym? If I win again, it'll be my 100th, and as such I'll take on the Pokémon league," announced a trainer from above.  
"I'd like to think so," I voiced. Sandslash jumped out of the pool and stood menacingly until its trainer stepped down from above.  
"Well, let's see if you can take down my Sandslash with your starter," replied the trainer. "The name's AJ by the way."  
"Alright AJ, I accept your challenge. Charmeleon, use Flame Burst!"  
"Into the pool!" ordered AJ. He then swirled his finger in a circular motion and Sandslash started to spin in the water, sending jets of water into the battlefield and Sandslash used a makeshift Aqua Jet.  
"Dodge it and use Flame Burst again!" Charmeleon tried to dodge, but Sandslash was just too fast. Charmeleon was slammed into the wall, but he quickly got up and shot a burst of fire. Sandslash fell backwards and extended its bright red quills.  
"Use Stone Edge!" shouted AJ. Sandslash fired a volley of stones.  
"Duck and use Fire Claw!" I quickly spouted. Charmeleon ducked then extended his claws. He gave them a metallic sheen and used Flame Burst on them. He then scored Sandslash's skin, causing a burn, and AJ stamped his foot.  
"Argh! Use Gyro Ball!" barked AJ. Sandslash curled up tightly and rolled very quickly towards Charmeleon, his body turning metallic.  
"Jump and use Fire Fang," I ordered. Charmeleon jumped up and Sandslash skimmed him. His teeth then became fiery and he bit down on his quills. Sandslash cried out and pointed its quills, making Charmeleon jump up in pain.  
"Quick, use Flame Burst!" I spouted. Charmeleon quickly shot a longer burst of flame than usual and Sandslash reeled back in pain, falling into the pool in the process. AJ twisted his finger again and Sandslash used his makeshift Aqua Jet again. Charmeleon got slammed into the wall again and struggled to get up. He did, but his legs were slightly wobbly, however, his tail flame looked brighter than ever.  
"Flame Burst, one last time," I said to Charmeleon. He opened his mouth and out came a huge blast of fire, scorching Sandslash, and as such made it faint. I smirked.

AJ just looked at Sandslash in disbelief and fell to his knees, his mouth agape in shock.  
"I spent 4 years training that Pokémon. Why did I have to lose to another trainer with a Pikachu?" asked AJ. I did feel sorry for him, after all I'd just lost him his win streak, but I was glad to have shown him to take action before it's too late.  
"AJ, I may have won, but you have a lot of skill," I started. AJ looked up at me in disbelief. "Everybody loses sometimes. I think you'd braver to challenge the Pokémon league than you would be if you waited for another win streak."  
"R-really?" stuttered AJ. He'd obviously not been spoken to like this before and blinked a rather large amount.  
"Really. I expect to see you in the Indigo Plateau conference," I announced. I shook AJ's hand as he got up, gave Green and Zach a subtle smile and left the gym.  
"Don't worry about him, he's just passionate about making sure people don't chicken out of things," sang Green.  
"I'll show you. I'm not a chicken!" shouted AJ as he stuck his chest out. Green waved goodbye and Zach wished AJ good luck as they left the gym.

* * *

We headed away from the gym and continued along the path for a while, taking in the afternoon air. Green gave me and Zach some Oran Berry marmalade sandwiches. We munched these down as we scanned the area for any signs. We stopped all of a sudden when we arrived at a cliff.  
"I think we're lost," said Green. We all nodded and looked at each other in wild desperation whilst we worked out what to do.  
"E-excuse me… could you help me?" asked a voice behind us. We turned to see who spoke and saw a Clefairy, but nothing else.  
"Was that you who spoke?" I asked the Clefairy. Green looked at me like I was crazy and Zach just stared at the Clefairy.  
"Yes, I'm a Pokémon. Wait, no I'm Bill, the creator of the box system," said the Clefairy. I looked at it in great disbelief and 'Bill' sighed heavily and waved his hands dismissively. "I'm not joshing you pal. I was conducting another experiment with the transportation of Pokémon and humans, and my DNA got mixed up with this Clefairy's. Look, come to my house and help me out. My PC has the transporter loaded on it, just press the button and it should undo it all."  
"OK, I'll help. However, if it turns out you are messing with me, don't expect any more help," I said. Bill led the way to his house with Green and Zach still looking sceptical. I opened the door for him (being a Clefairy, he was too short) and walked to his PC. I looked steadily at the screen, becoming ever dizzier the more I looked at it.  
"All you need to do is press the 'enter' key when I get in the transporter and the door has completely shut," explained Bill. Bill and Green walked over to the transporter door and Bill got into the machine. Green gave me a nod when the doors had shut fully and I pressed the key. Lots of whirring and vibrations came from the machine and lots of lights flashed on and off. It then stopped just as suddenly as it had started and the left hand door opened with plenty of steam flooding the room. Out of the door came the not-so-looming figure of Bill as a human and he stood tall (now that he could).  
"Thank you ever so much," said the familiar voice of Bill. This confirmed for me that it really was Bill as the Clefairy and Charmeleon opened his mouth in disbelief. I put of my hand. Bill shook it heartily and left in my hand a piece of paper.  
"It's a ticket for the S.S. Anne. They invited me to judge the tournament that'll take place, but I refused due to my research. You can take everybody you're travelling with, no problem," explained Bill. "Strange, I refused a party on the S.S. Anne about 6 years ago… I ended up giving the ticket to a kid who helped me in the same scenario."

* * *

We left Bill's house largely satisfied with the detour we'd happened to have taken and headed back the way we came to meet up with Blue after his second gym battle. We all waved to AJ as he took his gym sign down from outside his house and we all arrived in Cerulean City as the sun was beginning to set.  
"Where the heck have you all been!" shouted Blue from the Pokémon centre as he ran over to us enraged. Pidgey hid behind my head by nestling into my bag and Pikachu  
"We just went to see what Vermilion was like before we all went there," stammered Green. Zach looked at the ground in shame and I stayed stood upright, after all we'd done the right thing… right?  
"I have been looking for you for ages!" Blue shouted. "You went to go to Vermilion without me?!"  
"No, we just went to see what it was like. Turns out, we went the wrong way," I said quietly. "We got a ticket for all of us to participate in the S.S. Anne tournament!"  
"Fine, we'll head out tomorrow," said Blue coldly. We all headed into the Pokémon centre rather slowly and headed into the rooms Blue had booked us.  
"So, tell me more about the tournament, and how you got it," asked Blue as our evening meal was delivered.  
"Honestly, we don't know very much about the tournament yet. We just got the ticket, and got told by Bill the tournament is on the S.S. Anne."  
"Bill? You mean, PC Bill?" asked Blue, his eyes getting ever wider.  
"Yes, we helped him reverse the effects of the transporter experiment he was doing," I explained. "On another note, have you met my Pidgey?" I asked offhand. Pidgey was still nestled into my bag and I pulled her out, stroked her to calm her down and she looked up at Blue.  
"Hello. Sorry for scaring you earlier," said Blue. Pidgey squawked and flew over to Blue, pecking him on the head. "OW OW OW OW OW OW OW! Stop pecking me!"  
"PIDGEY!" I shouted. Pidgey stopped and stared, surprised by my raised voice. "Get yourself back over here, NOW!" Pidgey flew back over to me and landed with a soft thump on the bed.  
"Is that a shiny Pidgey?" asked Blue. I nodded and he looked at me in despair. "Why do you get the shiny Pokémon? If I could've won that battle yesterday it could have been mine!"  
"It's your fault the universe decided to give you the bad karma. You did, after all, catch the Mankey I was going to," I stated, matter-of-factly. Blue sighed and shovelled some of his curry down. I set out the appropriate food for each one of my Pokémon and tucked into my curry, anticipating the arrival of the next day.

* * *

**A few battles later and already have a sideplot, yay! To anybody who submitted an OC, thank you. Tyhe2476's OC is the one who will be used, but Anonymous who sent in Dan (see the reviews) will have his OC used for AJ's team (albeit mildly adjusted). Ace will be used at another point in the story, but again later.**

**I will need another OC for the child of the Safari Zone warden they will be meeting in a later chapter, so any submissions will be taken into account (you can submit by either a review, PM or on the forum). Thank you for reading. Don't forget to vote on the poll and post on the forums. See you next time! Bye!**

**Oh! Before I forget, question for the forum: do you prefer Chespin, Fennekin or Froakie? It'll be nice to hear from you! Smell ya later!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Wow! This chapter certainly was fun to write, and I hope you enjoy it. Today, everybody will be heading to Vermilion, but is that it? Of course not, but find out what happens now! Please review honestly and take part in the poll, it WILL affect the storyline!**

* * *

Chapter 10 – The Route to Vermilion

I woke up the next day rather crusty eyed as Pidgey was constantly waking me up, asking if she could snuggle in to me (of course that meant staring at the small screen of the Pokédex every time too). I replied every time that she could, yet she still asked every two hours. I rubbed my eyes groggily and my vision stayed blurry for the next 15 minutes as my eyes cried out for just 5 minutes more sleep. I walked outside the Pokémon centre after absentmindedly shovelling cereal and finally getting dressed (it took a few attempts to put my t-shirt on the right way) and yawned heavily. Charmeleon looked at me in confusion, because he'd slept like a baby, and Machop walked off to the edge of town.  
"Where are you going?" I asked Machop as Blue, Green and Zach came out of the centre.  
"So, Machop's abandoned you?" asked Blue cruelly. Green flicked Blue for that and Zach looked very concerned. Machop then came back from where he was going with something in his hands.  
"Ma-chop!" said Machop, holding out the items to me. They were berries and I used the Pokédex to translate exactly what was being said.  
"Chesto berries."  
"Thank you, Machop," I said. I bit down on it and felt wide awake, but also felt the need for a drink. "Duth anybody hath thum watur?" I asked with my tongue out, hoping for something from the air. Green handed me a bottle of water she carries and I drank a substantial amount, whilst Blue put the rest of the berries in his backpack. Pikachu jumped on to my shoulder and I petted her causing jealousy from Pidgey. She flew on to my other shoulder and I petted her too. Charmeleon stood beside me and Machop to the other side and Beedrill lay herself down on my bag and we all set off towards Vermilion City (for real) until suddenly…

"YOU AGAIN!" was heard from the same house as two days ago. Blue and Zach ran on ahead and I walked over with Green, as Pidgey was adamant about staying on my shoulder. We arrived at the house to see Zach and Blue out the back, blocking the exit and a Team Rocket grunt trying to get past.  
"Stop right there!" I shouted across, Machop and Charmeleon helping to block the grunt in.  
"Feel the wrath of Team Rocket. Go, Drowzee and Ekans!" the grunt called.  
"Go, Beedrill!" I shouted. Beedrill got up off my bag and hovered to the battle area.  
"Take 'em down, Fearow!" yelled Green. Fearow dropped out of the sky and almost crashed into the ground. He then flapped his wings and squawked loudly.  
"Use Twineedle on Drowzee!" I shouted. Beedrill sped over to Drowzee and jabbed at it with her arms. Drowzee suddenly looked very ill and fell to one knee in pain.  
"How DARE you poison my Pokémon! Use Headbutt and Wrap on Beedrill!"  
"Block them off with Aerial Ace!" shouted Green. Fearow zoomed over to the grunt's Drowzee with his wings glowing, slapped his wings on Drowzee's body and flew in front of Ekans' Wrap. Ekans tried to get around Fearow, but got blocked off.  
"Just use it on Fearow!" cried the grunt. Ekans wrapped is long body around Fearow and squeezed.  
"Use Fury Attack on Ekans!" I ordered.  
"No, Drowzee, Confusion on Beedr- WHA!" the grunt exclaimed as a huge burst of fire exploded on Drowzee. I turned to Charmeleon who was looking upwards in utter astonishment as a Charizard landed on the ground.

* * *

"Release Fearow and give back what you took," said the figure from the Charizard authoritatively. The grunt withdrew his Ekans and Drowzee, dropped the TM and ran for Vermilion.  
"Thank you, sir," said Green. The man stepped down off of Charizard's back and walked over to us, smiling yet concerned.  
"Your Pokémon aren't hurt, are they?" asked the man. Me and Green both shook our heads and he sighed. "Thank goodness. My name is Lance…"  
"LANCE!" shouted Zach. Lance nodded and Zach screamed like a fangirl and ran over to him, shook his hand viciously and yelped. "He's LANCE!"  
"Uh, we don't know why your so excited," said Blue. Zach's mouth dropped he shook Blue's shoulders.  
"He's Lance!" shouted Zach. Lance rolled his eyes at this and reached into his pocket.  
"I'm one of the members of the Elite Four at Indigo Plateau," he explained, showing us a copy of his certifications. "I'm the main user of dragon type Pokémon. This is my Charizard."  
"I thought Charizard was fire and flying, not dragon," I said confused.  
"Actually, you're right. There aren't many dragon type Pokémon available to us in the Kanto Elite Four, so I have to use Pokémon who can be perceived as a dragon, such as Charizard, Gyarados and Aerodactyl."  
"Chaaar!"  
"I've got to go back to Indigo Plateau. I'm sure I'll see you around," said Lance. I nodded in response and we all waved as he climbed back on to his Charizard and flew back to Indigo Plateau. I was looking forward to any opportunity to battle him, and hoped it would be in the near future.

I walked over to the dropped TM and picked it up.  
"So, I guess we should go and deliver it to the rightful owner," said Zach. I gave to TM to Pikachu to hold as we walked back to the robbed house. We knocked on the door and out came a rather red-eyed man.  
"What?! What do you want from me?!" he shouted, sounding irritable and discontented.  
"Well, actually sir, we have the TM that was stolen from you," announced Green as Pikachu handed it over to him.  
"You do?" he asked as he inspected it. "Oh, brilliant! Here, take these with you as my thanks." He handed us a selection of evolutionary stones and we each took one that would evolve our Pokémon. Green took a Moon Stone with a courteous smile, Zach took a Fire Stone (though he didn't tell us why), I took a Thunderstone whilst smiling at Pikachu and Blue took a Leaf Stone.  
"Why did you take a Leaf Stone when Eevee doesn't evolve from one?" I asked.  
"Why would I need to evolve Eevee again!" laughed Blue. Me, Green and Zach all looked at each other in confusion and Blue continued to explain, "I evolved Eevee into Jolteon and trained him whilst you three went on you little adventure…"  
"So why did you get a Leaf Stone?" I asked. Blue shrugged his shoulders, thanked the man and walked out. Green shook the man's hand, wished him well and left with me and Zach in tow.

* * *

We all headed out to Route 5 and saw a small building in the distance. We arrived there to see a large amount of dust being kicked up and a scared old woman stood outside.  
"Are… are you ok?" Blue tentatively asked. The old woman turned around and looked rather sad.  
"There is an Exeggcute in there. She's been abandoned by her old trainer and is causing a ruckus in there. Maybe you could go in there and calm her down," she said hopefully. Blue nodded and we all ran in. The Exeggcute had split into its six separate seeds and was busy destroying everything. They then all turned to the door, saw us and regrouped.  
"Exeggcute!" It shouted to Blue.  
"Go, Pidgeotto! Use Twister!" shouted Blue as he flung the Poké ball. Pidgeotto flew upwards and dodged the seeds being shot at him. Pidgeotto then thrust his wings and a small twister appeared in the middle of the floor, causing Exeggcute and the Bullet Seed to be sucked in. Exeggcute jumped up and head-butted Pidgeotto in the stomach multiple times. Pidgeotto then flew back upwards and waited for another order.  
"Quick Attack," said Blue. Pidgeotto then flew so fast towards Exeggcute that a white trail was left behind it. The Exeggcute were slammed against the wall and, as they recovered their bearings, they could barely find the energy to hop back to where she was. Blue then got a Poké ball out of his pocket and threw it at Exeggcute whilst saying, "I'll look after you. I'll never abandon you."  
"Egg!" shouted Exeggcute as she went into the Poké ball. 1… 2… 3… Pop! Exeggcute broke out of the ball and fired off a strange pink beam. Pidgeotto fell to the floor and stayed there, snoring away.  
"Wake up. Wait…" said Blue as he fumbled about in his bag. He pulled out a spray bottle and spritzed it on Pidgeotto. He then woke up and cooed at Blue as Exeggcute fired off a small red bullet towards Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto fell back as Exeggcute fired off a series of seed-like bullets, each getting weaker. Blue pushed his way through the seeds to see that the Exeggcute were crying as she fired off the seeds. The seeds soon just fell to the floor as the Exeggcute bawled noisily. Blue picked each seed up and placed them in his lap, cooing to them as he tried to calm them down. As they stopped crying they looked up to see Blue's smiling face.  
"Like I said, I promise that if you come with me I'll never abandon you," said Blue. Exeggcute jumped out of Blue's lap and looked to Green.  
"It's true, he's a good trainer!" said Green with a smile. Exeggcute looked a little more relaxed and looked to Zach for another opinion.  
"I've not known Blue for too long," said Zach, producing a disappointed look from Green and myself. It also made Exeggcute look rather panicked. "Let me finish! Though I've not known Blue for too long, from what I've seen, he's a faithful and honest trainer. You'd be lucky to have Exeggcute, I think, Blue."  
"I would," agreed Blue. Exeggcute looked highly contended with that report and turned to me for my opinion.  
"Not only is Blue a faithful friend and companion," I started. Exeggcute already looked like she had made her mind up from the first sentence. "But he is also a great battler, a fantastic strategist and also looks after his Pokémon well, doesn't he Pidgeotto?"  
"Pidge?" said Pidgey on my shoulder, confused by Red asking for Pidgeotto.  
"I meant Blue's Pidgeotto, silly!" I laughed as I tickled Pidgey on the underside of her beak. Pidgeotto nodded in response to my previous question and Exeggcute turned back to Blue.  
"Do you want to come with me?" asked Blue. Exeggcute jumped up and down happily and Blue got out a Poké ball, tapped it on the middle seed and all six were sucked into the ball. 1… 2… 3… Ping!

* * *

Blue got up and held the ball close to his chest as I got out my Pokédex to check its data.  
"Exeggcute. This Pokémon exudes a special psychic power, which allows it to communicate with other Exeggcute and members of its clan. These always form a group of 6, no more, no less. Nature: Lonely. Level: 27. Moves: Bullet Seed, Barrage, Confusion, Hypnosis."  
"Well, looky here, you managed to get it under control!" said the old lady cheerfully as she walked back into the house. "I'm going to need some help clearing up the mess though. Could I trouble you to help a woman in her plenties?"  
"Of course," I said, smiling at her little joke. I asked Green, Zach and Blue to send out their Pokémon to help. They all agreed except for Blue.  
"I suggest that Exeggcute doesn't help, as she's had a traumatic experience," Blue explained. We all agreed and we sent out our Pokémon, commenting on evolutions that have occurred since we last saw them. Green's Butterfree helped Blue's Pidgeotto, my Beedrill, Green's Fearow and my Pidgey with the items that required a higher reach, my Machop and Zach's Electabuzz carried the heavier items, Green's Ivysaur and Zach's Bayleef helped out wherever possible with their vines and my Pikachu, my Charmeleon, Blue's Wartortle, Green's Clefairy and Zach's Golduck helped to clear the rubble Us four trainers. After an hour's work, the place looked very neat and resembled a play area. Delighted with the work of the Pokémon we all sent our Pokémon to our Poké balls and gave them to the old woman.  
"Your Pokémon have worked hard, let me heal them up," said the old woman as she placed them in a large machine. After plenty of whirrs, beeps and a small amount of steam, Charmeleon and Machop were stood to my sides, Beedrill was smiling down from me above and Pikachu and Pidgey were back on 'their' shoulders.  
"Thank you," thanked Blue.

"It's no problem," said the old woman with a smile. "Now that we're all clean, allow me to welcome you to the Pokémon Day Care Centre. Here, you can leave a Pokémon for training and collect it later. Are there any you'd like to leave?" I thought about it for a while, as Blue walked over to the PC in the corner, and remembered that Pidgey was at a much lower level than the rest of my team.  
"Pidgey," I started. Pidgey turned to look at me sadly, as she had been listening to what the Day Care lady had said. "I just want you to know that I would like you to be trained here, so long as you're OK with it." Pidgey looked at me with a look of melancholy, yet seemed to understand what I was saying. She then cooed, rubbed her head against my chin and flew over to the Day Care lady. "I'll come and visit, I promise," I murmured.  
"I'd like to leave my Mankey with you," said Blue as he took a Poké ball out of the PC. Blue handed it over to the lady and she thanked him. I handed over 5000 Poké dollars as Zach headed over to the PC himself and withdrew a Poké ball.  
"Please can you swap the last Pokémon I left here for Vulpix?" asked Zach. The Day Care lady walked into the back room and we stood around for 20 seconds, twiddling our thumbs. The Day Care lady then came out with a Poké ball in her hand and exchanged it for Vulpix's ball. Blue handed over 6000 Poké dollars and Zach handed over 3400 Poké dollars and an IOU note, thereby telling her to raise Vulpix until he came to collect her.

* * *

We all left the Day Care centre, of course after a few tears, and headed to the gateway.  
"I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to let you pass. If you need to get to Vermilion, I suggest you take the underground path," said the guard. We turned to see a small house with a smaller doorway and squeezed ourselves in. We headed down the stairs situated in the middle of the room and headed into the underground. We saw a few stalls and a battleground. Me, Blue and Green headed to the nearest stall and Zach headed off to investigate the battleground.  
"Hello, young travellers!" said the stall owner. He looked rather fat and laughed loudly. "Here, you can buy super-rare and reasonably priced Poké balls."  
"What's so different about them?" asked Blue.  
"Ah, an inquisitive mind!" shouted the man with a smile on his face. "Well, these Poké balls work better with different Pokémon. For example, this one is called a Fast Ball and catches faster Pokémon, such as Growlithe and Ponyta, much easier."  
"Wow! That sounds cool! I want… no NEED it!" shouted Blue as he thrust his money into the man's hands.  
"This," he said pointing to the strange pink ball "Is the Love Ball."  
"IT'S MINE!" shouted Green as she shoved handfuls of cash into the man's hand.  
"Well, I have a Heavy Ball too. This one captures Pokémon easier if they're heavier. Would you like it?" asked the man to me. I obliged and paid 1000 poke dollars. "Wait, these Poké balls are mega rare! How dare you pay me 1000 Poké dollars!"  
"Hold on whilst I get a second opinion," I replied. "ZACH!"  
"Yup, how can I help," said Zach after he scurried over. He looked at the ball I had in my hand and sniggered. "You need help on how to use a Heavy Ball?!"  
"No, I need a decent price to pay for them," I retorted. Zach looked at me apologetically.  
"They're worth minimal money. Albeit they are rarer now that access to Johto has been cut off, but these'll be worth around… 500 Poké dollars at most."  
"WHA!" screamed the man. "These are not easy to come by nowadays, believe me."  
"Yes, so had to come by that every trainer has one?" said Zach sarcastically.  
"I want the money back I gave you for this!" shouted Blue. The man quickly packed his things and fled from the underground path.

* * *

"I've got us places at the battle arena," said Zach casually. Green and Blue stood there, shocked by their sudden loss in cash and I walked over with Zach to the battle arena.  
"So, who will we be facing?" I asked Zach.  
"Each other in a Double Battle!" announced Zach happily. He then turned to see Green and Blue walking over slowly. "I thought this would give us good training for the S.S. Anne tournament tomorrow."  
"Well, let's do it. I'll use Machop," I stated. Machop fist pumped and walked on to the arena.  
"I'll use Jolteon," said Blue as he threw out a Poké ball. Jolteon landed on the arena with a soft thump and raised his spiny fur.  
"I'll use Clefairy," said Green as Clefairy jumped out from behind her and floated into the arena.  
"Alright, I think I'll use my Rhyhorn, he'll need to be trained with me for a bit to get used to me," said Zach as he threw his Poké ball on to the arena. Rhyhorn landed on the arena with a heavy bang.  
"How about me and Blue team up against you and Green?" I asked Zach. All three nodded and we all took our positions.  
"Machop, use Karate Chop on Rhyhorn!" I ordered. Machop rushed forwards and smashed his hand into Rhyhorn's side.  
"Rhyhorn, counter with Stomp!" shouted Zach.  
"Stop it with Double Kick, Jolteon," said Blue. Jolteon jumped forwards and kicked Rhyhorn square in the face, sending it back towards Zach.  
"Use Metronome!" sang Green. Clefairy waggled his finger and started to produce a large, ghostly claw out of thin air and slashed Machop across the chest.  
"Shake it off and use Ice Punch on Rhyhorn," I said to Machop. Machop brushed off the dust and made his hand freeze.  
"Stop Machop with Metronome, again," said Green. Clefairy waggled his finger again and started to flop randomly on the floor. Green, Zach and Rhyhorn sweat dropped and Machop smashed his fist into Rhyhorn's jaw. Machop stood back and started to glow. His body became much bigger, his muscles more defined and he also managed to gain a power belt. I reached for my Pokédex to see his data.  
"Machoke. This Pokémon needs to wear the belt it gains upon evolution in order to control its power. Nobody knows what happens if you remove it…"

"Alright, use Seismic Toss on Clefairy, Machoke!" I ordered. Machoke stepped towards Clefairy and chucked him upwards.  
"Use Metronome to try and get Bounce," yelled Green. Clefairy waggled his finger and suddenly became panic-stricken as he fell faster.  
"Ugh, I think that's not Bounce," stated Blue. "I think that's Gravity. Use Thundershock on Clefairy when he drops." Jolteon fired a small spark, but got drawn to Rhyhorn's horn.  
"Lightningrod! Use Bulldoze on them," said Zach. Rhyhorn stamped front feet on the ground and knocked everybody else over, making them look slower in the process. However, Clefairy now had to be withdrawn from battle due to fainting.  
"Use Revenge on Rhyhorn!" I shouted. Machoke smashed his fist into Rhyhorn's lower jaw and Rhyhorn flew backwards into Zach.  
"Now finish it with a Quick Attack!" shouted Blue. Jolteon shot off like a rocket and slammed into Rhyhorn. Rhyhorn however was still standing strong and roared at Jolteon.  
"Use Rock Blast on Jolteon," said Zach calmly. Rhyhorn opened its jaw and blasted rocks from its mouth into Jolteon and he fainted from the damage.  
"Alright, use Ice Punch!" I shouted as Blue returned his Jolteon to his Poké ball. Machoke froze his hand and hit Rhyhorn in the mouth, sending him flying, once again, into Zach. Rhyhorn struggled to get back up and hobbled over to the arena.  
"Use Scary Face on Machoke to slow him down!" shouted Zach.  
"Close your eyes, Machoke," I stuttered. Machoke closed his eyes, then opened them too early and got frightened by Rhyhorn's move. "Try to use Seismic Toss on it."  
"No, use Rock Blast to keep him at bay," protested Zach. Rhyhorn tried to use Rock Blast, but fell over when trying to stand fully on its legs. Machoke grabbed him by his back legs and threw it upwards. Rhyhorn flew in the air for a while and when it came back down it crashed through the arena floor, leaving a rather large hole and Rhyhorn fainted.

* * *

"That was a good battle; we now know a bit more about each other's battle techniques and we got some training for the tourney tomorrow!" summarised Green. We each congratulated each other and I received a Pearl from the arena manager. We all headed away from the underground path and into Route 6. By this time it had become the afternoon and Green handed out some Magost Berry jam sandwiches and we all tucked in as we sat down by the pond.  
"So, going back to what you said a fair while ago, what is Johto?" I asked. Zach swallowed his mouthful and wiped his mouth of crumbs.  
"Johto's the place next to Kanto. There hasn't been anybody coming in or out of Johto since that landslide 6 months ago. Also, the radio signals and the TV signals that come from Johto are incredibly weak, so you may never have had any transmissions from there. Johto is where I got my starter Pokémon from, though it was through Prof. Oak."  
"So, Bayleef isn't native to Kanto?" asked Blue. Zach nodded and continued to eat his sandwich.  
"Right, so where are you from?" asked Green.  
"Mmmummum phumm," said Zach through a mouthful of sandwich. He then swallowed and tried again. "Pallet Town."  
"Hey, we're from Pallet Town!" shouted Blue. Green rubbed her ear and flicked Blue on his cheek.  
"Really?" asked Zach. I nodded and Blue rubbed his cheek. "Strange, I don't remember you from my random walks around the town…"  
"Well, it's still daylight, if we start to walk now we should make it to Vermilion by evening," said Green. We all packed our items away and headed in the direction of Vermilion, stopping every now and then for Blue to catch a Poliwag and a Krabby.

As we arrived in Vermilion, the sun was setting and we were all starting to get hungry again. We stopped by the Pokémon centre and looked up to see a seemingly disused lighthouse. We entered the Pokémon centre, booked a room and headed to the dining hall, excited for tomorrow.

* * *

As I woke up the next day and sat up, I saw Pikachu and Charmeleon already on the bed, waiting for me.  
"Are you ready to go?" I asked them. Beedrill buzzed above and Machoke nodded.  
"Pikachupi!" said Pikachu as Charmeleon jumped up and down excitedly. I told Pikachu she could wake Blue up and got dressed. Blue jumped upwards as I was pulling on my jacket and headed out the door, my Pokémon in hot pursuit. We all shovelled our breakfast down and rushed out to the S.S. Anne, desperate to see who we'd be fighting first.

* * *

**I know I've written the typical start of the next chapter now, but I needed that in order to concentrate better on the battles. Please review, favourite, take part in the poll and join in the conversation on the forum. The current question is "Which is your favourite Gen 6 starter pokemon?"**

**I've also decided that, for you, I will put all the pokemon data in the Author Notes, so this'll start next chapter. Don't forget that there is an open opportunity for an OC. He/She will be the child of the safari zone warden, and will be with the group until Fuschia City. To submit, either write the character's name, surname (optional) and party pokemon, and send it to me in a PM, via the forum or even through a review. I hope to see you next time. Bye!**


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